An actor who starred in Scottish crime drama NEDs has been jailed for violent assaults like those throughout the award-winning film.

Craig Kerr played a character called Rebel in the 2010 flick, which was directed by Scots film-maker Peter Mullan and won the Golden Shell - Best Film award - at the 2010 San Sebastian Film Festival.

The film portrays 1970s gang culture in Cardonald area of Glasgow.

It follows the exploits of John McGill - an intelligent youngster who excels at school but goes off the rails and ends up homeless and living a life of crime.

Running battles between weapon-wielding teenagers and unprovoked assaults on lone males are commonplace in the film, and it seems Kerr has learned a thing or two from the screenplay.

The Gazette reports that Paisley Sheriff Court heard that Kerr, 22, viciously attacked two men in separate incidents in the summer of 2013.

On June 12, that year Kerr, of Paisley, attacked John McBride at Johnstone railway station.

The court heard that he exchanged words with McBride on the platform at the station and then lost his temper.

McBride then tried to walk away but thug Kerr gave chase, followed him along the platform and attacked him, punching him on the head and leaving him injured.

And two-and-a-half months later, on August 27, the thug was at it again, this time at a supermarket in his hometown.

Whilst at the Morrison's store in the town's Thread Street, Kerr conducted himself in a disorderly manner, shouted, swore and committed a breach of the peace.

He then carried out two assaults on Patrick Thomas, first hitting him on the body with a bottle and then raining blows on him.

Kerr kicked and punched Thomas on the head and body.

Kerr was arrested and charged over the incidents and later appeared in court.

He was due to go on trial over claims he had also threatened McBride with violence and given police a false name when he was being investigated over the assault on Thomas in a bid to pervert the course of justice.

But those charges were dropped ahead of his trials when he struck a deal with prosecutors which saw him pleading guilty to assaulting McBride to his injury and committing two assaults on Thomas.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to appear at a court date in connection with the cases.

And, when he returned to the dock this week, he was locked up for his antics.

Defence solicitor Terry Gallanagh said Kerr was a young man who had not had his troubles to seek - battling drink and drug addictions, battling mental health problems and being homeless for a time.

But Sheriff Derek Hamilton ruled there was only one way he could deal with him over the offences.

He sentenced Kerr, who has lived in Paisley's Espedair Street, Grampian Avenue and Neilston Road, to serve 11 months behind bars.

In NEDs Kerr's character, Rebel, is a member of a gang called The Krew who hail from nearby Pollok often engage in running armed battles with the Young Car-D, the gang protagonist John McGill is a member of.

They chase McGill and he takes refuge in a house until the coast is clear for him to return to Cardonald.

Shortly before NEDs was released Kerr, then just 17, was warned he faced being locked up for threatening to kill police officers and nurses at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Sheriff Ruth Anderson branded Kerr's behaviour “absolutely disgusting” but placed him on a two-month structured deferred sentence, which involved social work input.