A MAN who punched a stranger with the same surname as him and claimed, “I’m the only Morton round here” has been jailed.

Darren Morton, 33, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court to be sentenced on Thursday.

He previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a man by punching him to the face, carrying a weapon, uttering offensive remarks towards police, and spitting within close proximity of officers.

The court heard that the victim had been staying within the accused’s father’s home in Finnieston at the time of the offence, on October 9 last year.

The procurator fiscal depute said: “At 12.30am, the witness Morton was woken up by a number of people talking within the living room of the property. When he entered the living room, he was greeted by the accused who was hostile and aggressive.

“The accused began to shout, ‘I’m the only Morton round here’. He approached the witness and proceeded to punch him to his left cheek, causing a small cut under his eye.”

Glasgow Times:

The man then ran into the bathroom and the accused followed him before producing a kitchen knife from his pocket.

The witness left and contacted police, with the accused also making off.

The procurator fiscal added: “Police officers thereafter traced the accused within his home and at this time the accused cleared his throat and spat on the ground, narrowly missing them.

“A spit hood was thereafter applied, and he was conveyed to the police station. Whilst on route, he began to direct abuse.

“He said, ‘I’m going to snap your noses off’, ‘your faces are getting smashed’, ‘just wait until I get these handcuffs off’.

“He then referred to police officers as ‘s***s’ and ‘cows’.”

Morton’s solicitor explained that the man who had been assaulted had been working on the same construction site as the accused’s father.

Glasgow Times:

He added: “The job had come to an end and some drinking had taken place. The complainer had been drinking himself before having gone to sleep and being woken up. He was then confronted by the accused.

“He is not a man that is known to the accused. I’m not sure how it was found out that they shared the same name.

“He lets himself down spectacularly in his dealings with the police. His record is bad but there are significant gaps.

“He’s not been in prison since 2018, and there are no matters outstanding.

“If he’s lucky enough to be tagged, he has to follow it to the letter.”

Morton, whose address was listed as Kelvinhaugh, but is now living in Johnstone with a friend, was jailed for eight months, reduced from 12 due to his early plea.

Sheriff Paul Brown told him: “I’ve listened to what your lawyer has said but this type of offending set against your record, in my view, cannot be dealt with by an alternative to custody.”