A THUG who left a stranger with a fractured skull as violence flared following an Old Firm clash has been ordered to pay his victim £2,500.
Zach Edgar, 24, lashed out at Ian Jackson, 59, outside a pub in Larkhall, Lanarkshire.
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The Central Bar had been packed with fans watching Rangers lose 4-0 to their arch-rivals at Celtic Park in the Scottish Premiership.
Jackson remained in the pub after the game while Edgar arrived later before leaving amid claims his friend had been assaulted.
A group of furious women confronted him outside the bar which caused Jackson to walk towards them.
CCTV footage showed Edgar then strike him with one punch which knocked him to the ground unconscious in September 2022.
Jackson was taken to University Hospital Wishaw where medics discovered a fracture to his skull and blood between the brain and skull.
Edgar, of Larkhall, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted the assault to severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of life.
Sheriff Liam Murphy spared Edgar jail and ordered him to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work as well as pay compensation.
Depute fiscal John Coogan told the court the pub had been busy for the Old Firm game and Jackson had stayed until he was attacked in the early evening.
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He said: “The named complainer had attended at the Central Bar to watch the Celtic v Rangers match where he spent the remainder of the afternoon and the early evening.
“Shortly after 8.30pm he was directly outside the bar as was the accused where there appeared to be a crowd of women who engaged in an argument with the accused.
“The complainer walked towards the accused and the group of women and the accused thereafter punched the complainer to the head which caused him to fall backwards to the ground where he struck his head off the pavement and became immediately unconscious.
“The complainer remained on the ground there for a matter of minutes and police were contacted.”
Scott Jones, defending, said: “There is no doubt that the obvious solution to this would have been to turn around and walk away.
“It has not been lost on him that he has pled guilty to a serious matter.”
Sheriff Murphy said: “It is clear that the harm caused has been significant.
“You have not had a custodial sentence before and I can only impose one if there is no alternative.
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“On a very fine balance I’m going to step back from custody and impose a community pay back order.”
Charges which claimed Edgar assaulted two other people were dropped by prosecutors.