A former soldier who carried out a brutal murder bid on a stranger while on weekend leave has been locked up for five years and three months. Scott Linton, 25, had been returning from a family party when he pounced on Steven McAllister in a lane in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, on March 14, 2020.
The ex-lance corporal - who served with the Royal Regiment of Scotland 5 Scots - punched, kicked and stamped on the 47 year-old leaving him unconscious in a pool of blood. The victim ended up in hospital for 12 days after the motiveless attack.
The beating was so severe the tread of Linton's trainer was still imprinted on his head. Father-of-two Linton - who was in the army for almost eight years - pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge as he appeared in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday.
