‘Dangerous’ Dundee teen locked up for city centre attacks

A “dangerous” Dundee teenager who carried out two vicious assaults in the city centre has been jailed.

Gary Davies, 19, left another teenager unconscious outside McDonald’s on Reform Street after stamping on him on January 8 2023.

Five months later, another victim was left with triple vision after being thumped over the head with a wine bottle on the same street.

Davies is now locked up and will be subject to stringent conditions when he is released from custody.

Reform Street head stamp

Forfar Sheriff Court heard previously how Davies, 18 at the time of the January incident, was drunk after spending the day in pubs with friends.

He and his friends became involved in a fight outside McDonald’s and knocked another teenager to the ground.

Davies kicked him on the head and repeatedly stamped on it while he lay motionless on the pavement.

The attack was caught on city centre CCTV and police rushed to the area.

They discovered a hat Davies had left behind after the assault.

The victim, also intoxicated, was left with a large bump over his left eye with blood smeared across his nose.

Davies was originally charged with attempted murder but pled guilty to a lesser charge of assault to the danger of life.

Second assault

On June 15 2023, Davies returned to the scene of his violent crime and swung a wine bottle at an 18-year-old.

It connected with the teenager’s head and the victim described himself as feeling “concussed” and with triple vision.

He attended at the accident and emergency department of Ninewells Hospital with a 30mm cut behind his right ear which left a scar.

Davies, a prisoner at Polmont, admitted causing the man to suffer severe injury.

Scott Wheeler, 28, also admitted punching the same man during the incident.

Sentence was deferred on him by Sheriff Mungo Bovey KC until April for him to engage in a drug rehabilitation programme.

Prison challenges

Solicitor Anika Jethwa, for Davies, said her client had been remanded in custody since November 2023.

“Both of these offences happened while he was under the influence of alcohol,” she said during Davies’ sentencing at Dundee Sheriff Court last week.

“He had a difficult childhood; he lost his mother at a young age.

“He had a very strict upbringing and when he is faced with any kind of conflict, in particular when he’s drinking, he behaves in the manner on these indictments.

“While being in prison, unfortunately just by the very nature of that establishment, he’s constantly facing situations where there’s potential conflict.

“He’s now at the stage that he’s starting to join the dots and understand why he’s behaving in the way he is.”

In a pre-sentencing social work report, Davies was described as a “very dangerous young man” who would be risk to other males his age.

‘Downward spiral’

Sheriff Bovey ordered Davies to serve two years detention and imposed a two-year supervised release order with the condition to engage with alcohol counselling.

The sheriff said: “This is both punishment and opportunity for you.

“Your life seems to be in a downward spiral and it’s essential you take the opportunity that this presents.

“You are, from everything I have seen, a danger to others and that’s not a way that you can proceed.”

For more local court content visit our page or join us on Facebook.