Thug jailed after row at takeaway

Sheriff told of threats to staff

A thug was last week jailed for a year and four months on charges which included threatening to kill staff at an Indian takeaway.

Kevin Paul O’pray had denied behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at the Taj Mahal takeaway in Holytown Main Street on April 7 this year and the case went to trial.

However, during the trial the 22-year-old changed his plea and admitted the offence.

The court heard he had damaged a door at the takeaway by forcing it open and repeatedly threatened to kill Javeed Akhtar and Ali Ashraf. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting James O’neill by punching him on the head at an address in Sunnyside Crescent, Holytown, on the same date. And he admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner there by threatening to shoot Mr O’neill, kicking and banging on a letterbox, damaging it, and uttering threats.

Last Thursday, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on the remaining charges of assaulting Mr Akhtar and Mr Ashraf at the takeaway by presenting an imitation firearm at them and possessing a firearm with intent to cause Mr Akhtar and Mr Ashraf to believe unlawful violence would be used against them.

O’pray had admitted the two threatening and abusive manner charges under deletion of attempting to incite a dog to bite Mr Akhtar and Mr Ashraf, and repeatedly challenging Mr O’neill to fight.

After the jury returned their verdicts at Hamilton Sheriff Court last Thursday, Sheriff Ray Small sentenced O’pray – whose address was given as Addiewell Prison – to three months’ imprisonment on the charge of threatening to kill Mr Akhar and Mr Ashraf.

O’pray was also sentenced to 13 months on the charges of assaulting Mr O’neill and threatening to shoot Mr O’neill. The sheriff ordered the jail terms to be served consecutively.