THREE thugs - one of whom threatened to rape a train passenger – have been locked up for years over a vicious incident.

Sheriff Simon Pender condemned the three young men, who had all been assessed as a “maximum risk” of reoffending.

And he said stiff sentences were needed to send a message that the public were entitled to use public transport without fear of attack.

Glasgow Times:

Darren Murray

Brian Moorehead, 24, Darren Murray, 18, and Liam Reilly, 20, pleaded guilty earlier this year to their roles in the incident dating back to December 21, 2015.

Murray, of West Court, Clydebank, was just 15 at the time but Sheriff Pender told Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week he had started offending at the age of 12.

Around 10.45pm on day of the crime, the three boarded a train at Westerton with alcohol.

Glasgow Times:

Brian Moorehead

Moorehead, of Tallant Road, Drumchapel, approached a woman with a glass vodka bottle in his hand and two people tried to pull him away, others saying they didn’t want trouble.

Reilly, of Whitevale Street, Dennistoun, went up to a woman in the group and asked which of the males she was with was her boyfriend. When she told him none of them, he said he was going to “pump” her.

Sheriff Pender stated: “In effect, you were threatening to rape her.”

Glasgow Times:

Liam Reilly

As the train approached Bearsden, Moorehead attacked a man, striking him on the back of his head with the bottle. He also punched him repeatedly on the head.

When another man went to help, Murray punched him to the head and face, knocking him to the ground and repeatedly kicking him on the body.

Both men suffered serious injuries.

As the doors of the train opened, the victims ran off but Reilly chased them.

Sheriff Pender stated: “You shouted at the woman that, in effect, you were still going to rape her, but that you were going to kill her first.

“In the context of all that had been going on, including the two unprovoked attacks by your co-accused, this must have been very alarming indeed.”

He continued: “It is simply unacceptable that law abiding citizens cannot travel on local public transport at that time of night without being terrorised and assaulted by the likes of you.

“Members of the public are entitled to feel safe when they undertake such journeys, and the message must go out that conduct such as yours will be met with severe and deterrent sentences.”

Moorhead has an “appalling record” of convictions including four assaults and breaking court orders.

As well as being a maximum risk of reoffending, he was assessed as having the propensity to cause serious harm.

He was jailed for three years and six months, and when released he will be supervised for 12 months. And that must start after his current jail term for another offence.

Murray, Sheriff Pender noted, had a shorter criminal history but it started at the age of 12 and he carried out a number of offences since. He was assessed as a persistent offender.

Murray was detained for 18 months and will be supervised for a further nine months after that. He was due to be released last Friday for another offence but will stay behind bars.

The sheriff said no previous convictions had been put before the court for Reilly – but the social work report made clear he started offending since the age of 14, and had offended since the 2015 attack.

He told Reilly his “horrendous” threats to the woman would leave effects on her that would be “very long lasting”.

Reilly was detained for 32 months and will also be supervised for an extra 12 months after his release. His sentence will start after his current time locked up for other crimes.