Thugs involved in slashing wheelchair-bound man and stealing his dog sentenced

Two thugs were jailed after carrying out a terrifying raid on a severely disabled man and stealing his dog.

Gary Thomson, 36, and Jamie Thomson, 44, ambushed David Strock during an early-hour attack at his home in Bellshill, Lanarkshire on June 26, 2022.

The 59-year-old was knocked out of his wheelchair, repeatedly slashed with scissors and smacked over the head with a bottle.

The assailants - along with 34-year-old Sarah Blakeway - then escaped with the man's BMW 535 car and his beloved pet bulldog Kira.

A badly wounded Mr Strock - paralysed from the waist down - managed to crawl out of his home to get help injuring himself further.

The Thomsons were joined by Blakeway as they returned to the dock at the High Court in Glasgow today.

Gary Thomson had earlier pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Strock to his severe injury as well as his permanent disfigurement and impairment.

He also admitted to a theft charge.

Lord Matthews sentenced him to a total of five years and four months.

He was further ordered to be monitored for three years on his release.

It emerged Gary Thomson had previously been locked up for 12 years when he was a teenager for the attempted murder of a taxi driver.

He was also guilty of a carjacking along with Blakeway in 2020.

Jamie Thomson - a former physics graduate - was sentenced to three years and 10 months today.

He had pleaded guilty to theft and assaulting Mr Strock to his injury by hitting him with the bottle.

Blakeway was spared a jail term. She was instead hit with a 15-month community payback order.

Blakeway had admitted to the same charges as Jamie Thomson.

She must also pay Mr Strock £150 - the amount he had to fork out to get his dog Kira back.

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The court earlier heard how the victim was awoken by the trio around 3am.

Blakeway - who had previously stayed with Mr Strock in 2022 - yelled at him and demanded his car keys.

She then punched the man, who tried to fend off the blows.

Prosecutor Vish Kathuria said: "Gary Thomson repeatedly slashed Mr Strock to the head, face, neck, arm, hand and body with scissors.

"He caused his wheelchair to topple over which caused Mr Strock to fall to the floor.

"Jamie Thomson swung a glass wine bottle at him which struck the top of his head and caused a cut. The bottle did not break."

After the attackers fled, blood-soaked Mr Strock scrambled 100 yards to a neighbour's home begging for help.

He suffered wounds to his face, a fracture to his back and nerve damage to his hand.

The victim remains badly affected by his ordeal - suffering from flashbacks and unable to trust people.

The getaway car was later discovered crashed in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

Mr Strock got Kira back, but only after a concerned woman who knew Blakeway saw her with the now-injured dog and paid £150 to get it away from her.

The good samaritan contacted Mr Strock after hearing about the raid.

He then offered to pay her back the money she had handed over for Kira.

Rhonda Anderson, defending Gary Thomson, today said he had spent most of his adult life behind bars.

Jamie Thomson's lawyer Edith Forrest said he was a former Strathclyde University graduate who then suffered personal issues after a car accident.

She added he was "horrified and remorseful" for what he had done.

He had a previous conviction for having an "antique" airgun.

Bobby Reid, defending Blakeway, told the court she was aware she had been part of a "horrific attack on a vulnerable man".