Prison for drunken thug who chucked brick at bouncers

A violent offender was fresh out of custody when he carried out two life threatening attacks on the same drunken night out.

Gary Polland (31) armed himself with two knives and lay in wait before attacking a man in Stenhousemuir and inflicting two wounds on him which were dangerously close to his heart and spleen.

Polland had also hurled a piece of rubble or brick at the heads of door stewards at the Warehouse nightclub in Falkirk after being ejected from the premises.

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Appearing for sentence at Edinburgh High Court today, Polland was branded “a prolific and dangerous offender” by Lord Pentland.

The judge added: “The offences arose from your propensity for resorting to violence when you are under the influence of alcohol.”

Jailing Polland for eight years and 60 days, Lord Pentland highlighted the fact the offender had become involved in gang violence as a teenager and routinely carried a knife.

The Judge also ordered Polland be kept under supervision for a further three year period upon his release from custody.

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Polland was earlier convicted of a string of offences after a trial at Stirling Sheriff Court but was sent to the High Court because of its greater powers of sentencing.

He culpably and recklessly threw a half brick at stewards at the Warehouse Nightclub, in Burnbank Road on May 13 in 2016 to the danger of their lives and he also attacked a man at Arthurs Drive, Stenhousemuir, repeatedly punching and stabbing him on the body to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life on the same date.

He was also found guilty of illegal possession of a knife, possession of cannabis and making threats of violence.

Polland had been freed on bail two months earlier at Falkirk Sheriff Court.

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Defence counsel Mark Moir said Polland had been put out the club but got into a row with stewards. He was caught on camera running back towards the door and was seen to throw something which the stewards indicated was a half brick.

They told the court they had taken refuge inside the premises but the missile was thrown at their heads.

He had also become involved in an altercation with a man before committing the knife assault on him.

A jury rejected his claim he was acting in self defence.

Mr Moir said Polland’s record included a conviction from 2006 at the High Court in Glasgow for a life endangering serious assault which had resulted in a sentence of six years imprisonment, with a further two years supervision during which he could be returned to custody.

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Polland was freed from that sentence but returned to jail in 2013 and was ultimately released in January 2016.

Mr Moir said one of the principle catalysts for Polland’s offending was alcohol abuse and courses would be available in prison to help with that, as well as anger management.

He said that Polland had now realised that in his words “I can change”.

“He advises me that he now recognises that, particularly in his youth, he was anti-establishment, argumentative and disruptive. He recognises that had brought him nothing but trouble for himself and he advises he wishes to change,” said Mr Moir.