A Stirling thug who tried to rob two teenagers in a city street with a knife has week escaped a jail sentence.
Dylan Stoddart, of Hill Street, had admitted charges of assaulting and attempting to rob the boys, each aged between 13 and 16 on September 3, 2021, in St Ninians.
The 29-year-old had demanded money from one of the boys, brandished a knife at him, and threatened him with violence, before seizing his clothing, pulling him, and holding a knife against his face and trying to headbutt him.
He had also demanded money from a second boy and threatened him with violence before seizing him by clothing, struggling with him and seizing him by the neck. Stoddart then threatened to stab him while demanding money.
When the matter called for sentence at Stirling Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Stoddart’s agent Frazer McCready told Sheriff Keith O’Mahony that while custody would be uppermost in the sheriff’s
mind there was an alternative to imprisonment.
Stoddart’s criminal record comprised road traffic matters and there were no previous crimes of violence - and there were no outstanding cases before the courts.
Mr McCready said Stoddart had previously been a victim of a nasty hammer assault, sustaining a large bruise to his left eye.
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Stoddart feared that he would be attacked again - although the boys who were unknown to Stoddart had nothing to do with the assault.
At the time Stoddart had been drinking alcohol and taking valium and Stoddart “had very little recollection such was his level of intoxication”. He had told his solicitor that the crimes were out of character.
Stoddart accepted that the attacks would have been terrifying for the boys and was remorseful, he stressed.
He had “tried to do the right thing” by pleading guilty to the two offences before the court.
The lawyer also pointed out that Stoddart had been forced to give up employment due to pain resulting from “physical difficulties”.
However, Mr McCready said the accused had a work ethic and was looking for employment.
While the custody threshold had been passed he asked Sheriff O’Mahony to put that to one side and consider an alternative “high tariff” order.
Sheriff O’Mahony told Stoddart that he had fully intended to jail him, but on balance, given what his solicitor had said in mitigation, he had been persuaded to impose an alternative to custody.
He also noted the accused had addressed a number of issues, was remorseful, and had been on a curfew for a “considerable” length of time.
Sheriff O’Mahony sentenced Stoddart to a Community Payback Order comprising two years’ supervision and 300 hours’ unpaid work.
He also ordered that Stoddart pay out £1000 to each of his victims in compensation.
