Attacker jailed for Six Months

A man who threw a bottle at firefighters as they tackled a blaze was jailed today for six months.

Derek Pike, 36, threw the bottle from the 12th floor of a Motherwell tower block at crews which had arrived to tackle a fire in a bin chute on the 17th floor. The attack took place on the evening of 22nd July last year at Dalziel Tower.

Pike, had amitted the offence at an earlier hearing. Sheriff Ray Small had warned him then that the charge he faced was a "very serious matter" and that he was facing a jail term.

Sentencing Pike today, Sheriff Small said: "Legislation is in place to protect fire crews and emergency workers."

Robert Scott, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue's Area Commander for North Lanarkshire, said: "We welcome this jail sentence and hope that it is a deterrent to others. We would urge the public to contact the Police about acts of violence against firefighters that they have information about."

Crimestoppers can be contacted at 0800 555 111.