Convicted Rapist Seeks Revenge After Street Attack

A convicted rapist, Richard Wotherspoon, armed himself with an axe and sought revenge after being attacked in a Bellshill street. He was seen "banging furiously" on a door with the weapon, targeting an individual he believed was responsible for the assault.

Wotherspoon, 32, admitted to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in Dean Street on July 6. His lawyer, Diarmid Bruce, claimed that Wotherspoon had been targeted numerous times since his release from prison, where he served a 16-year sentence for a sex attack.

The court heard that five people had attacked Wotherspoon days after he was released from prison for a domestic abuse sentence. He suffered a broken finger and needed stitches in his mouth after being hit with a shovel.

According to the prosecution, witnesses saw Wotherspoon and another man with an axe and a hammer in Dean Street later that evening. Wotherspoon was seen banging on a door with the axe, shouting, "I have no issue with you. I'm going to kill him."

Bruce argued that Wotherspoon's 2006 High Court conviction continued to cause him difficulties in the area, leading to taunts, targeting, and repeated assaults. "Individuals use it as an excuse to cause him difficulties," Bruce stated.

Sheriff Liam Murphy sentenced Wotherspoon to 18 months in prison, backdated to July.