Man jailed for ‘ruthless’ hour-long attack on Fife sex offender

A sex offender was left permanently disfigured after a “ruthless”, hour-long attack in a Fife flat.

George Kane pounced on Stephen Irvine after he revealed he served time in prison for sexual offending.

Mr Irvine suffered a broken eye socket and nose after being repeatedly punched, stamped on and bitten by Kane at an address in Tay Street, Tayport.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard the victim’s injuries were so grisly he avoided his mother and grandmother for months, fearing he would frighten them.

Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith acknowledged Kane, 30, is changing his ways in the intervening two years but said the attack was that of a “coward” after condemning his violent conduct.

He said: “I am sure there will be many people who are readers of red top tabloids that will think you were carrying out a public service by attacking your victim – they would be wrong.

“You simply took the law into your own hands, presumably because of the state of drink and possibly drugs you were in at the time.”

Hour-long attack

The court was told how on Christmas Day 2022, Kane fell into a coma after overdosing on street valium.

He met a female friend and Mr Irvine – who was not known to him – at the woman’s flat on Boxing Day for a drinking session.

Mr Irvine told Kane he had served time in the HMP Perth protection hall, which led Kane to enquire if he was a “beast”.

Kane became aggressive when Mr Irvine admitted sexual offending and punched him repeatedly.

Arguments continued throughout the evening and Mr Irvine was attacked and followed into the bathroom, where Kane hit his head against the wall “two or three times”.

An agreed narrative stated: “The accused then punched him to the head countless times.

“The complainer fell to the floor and noticed that his nose was bleeding heavily.

“The accused then started stamping on his head and the side of his body.

“At one point, while in the bathroom, the accused bit him to the nose while the complainer held his hands up to defend himself.”

Mr Irvine was followed through the flat by Kane, who would stop for periods before attacking again.

The entire episode took around an hour.

Towards the end, Kane took hold of a butter knife and said: “I’m going to kill him.”

‘He’s lucky I didn’t kill him’

Police descended on the flat after an anonymous 999 call and were allowed entry by the woman at around 2am.

Kane was arrested and abusive en route to police headquarters in Dundee, making a homophobic slur to a female police officer.

He said after being charged: “He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.”

Mr Irvine was treated for “significant” swelling to his face, bite marks to his hand and nose and fractures to his right eye socket and nose.

He still suffers pins and needles on the right side of his face and has a small scar at his right eye.

Kane, of Peace Hill View in Wormit, pled guilty to assault and behaving abusively towards police.

Solicitor Mike Short Kane has made significant progress in tackling his drug and alcohol addictions.

“Although he is a good person, his behaviour is unacceptable and we can’t have people behaving in the way he behaved.

“He understands the seriousness. He got it wrong that day and that behaviour can’t be acceptable.”

Sentencing

Sheriff Niven-Smith highlighted Kane’s “remarkable” progress on a drug treatment testing order, routinely providing negative drug samples and said: “I appreciate that today… you are a very different man… and that’s to your credit.”

But he added: “Having called him a ‘beast’ and set upon him, you were ruthless in the attack upon him.

“It was relentless and sustained in nature. Whilst on the floor, you started stamping on his head and side of his body.

“That, frankly, is the mark of a coward, striking someone prone on the ground and totally defenceless as you bring your unyielding foot on him.

“You remark to the police, which was eloquent of your intention, ‘he’s lucky I didn’t kill him’. You are lucky you are not sitting in the High Court.

“I am of the view that custody is inevitable standing the vicious nature of the assault.”

Kane was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

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