A JOHNSTONE thug who attacked a man and knocked him unconscious was told he could have killed his victim – before being spared jail.

Michael Muggins, of Willow Drive, battered Thomas Sharkey, raining punches on his head, causing him to fall to the ground and knocking him out.

The 27-year-old admitted his guilt over the assault, which took place in Glasgow city centre on October 22 last year, after agreeing a deal with prosecutors that led to two other charges against him being dropped.

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Muggins was cleared of claims he also battered Roderick McKenzie at the Clippens Bar, in Linwood, on October 14 last year by punching him on the head and body and kneeing him on the body to his severe injury.

He was also cleared of a charge that he defecated in a bin in Glasgow city centre after battering Mr Sharkey.

Sentence was deferred for background reports to be prepared and, when Muggins returned to the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court this week to be sentenced, his lawyer said he had been provoked by his victim before the attack took place.

Defence solicitor David Nicholson said: “The complainer is no stranger to violence or crimes of violence.”

The lawyer added that Muggins has “a number of skills” which could be put to use in the community if a custodial sentence was not imposed.

Sheriff Seith Ireland could have caged Muggins for up to five years for the offence but opted to spare him prison, but told him he could have killed his victim. He said: “These cases are extremely concerning because they end up with the victim on the ground, unconscious.

“We have seen one or two cases recently where it’s been a punch on someone’s head and they’ve fallen and banged their head and fallen unconscious and it can lead to that person perishing.

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“If that happens, the charge is murder or culpable homicide. Now, we’re not dealing with that, but it puts it into a context of how serious these matters can be.”

Sheriff Ireland then told Muggins he was placing him on a Community Payback Order and giving him nine months to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work, reduced from 180 hours as he admitted his guilt.