Man jailed for attempted murder of 84-year-old shopkeeper

Richard Wilson, 28, carried out the attack in March last year

A man has been jailed for 13 years for the attempted murder of an 84-year-old shopkeeper.

Richard Wilson, 28, punched the man 18 times, stamped on his head and kneed him in the face.

The victim suffered a bleed on the brain as a result of the brutal assault at the shop in Inverness on 12 March last year.

Sentencing Wilson at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Colbeck told him: "I have not seen in my court an attempted murder as ferocious as this apart from one which involved weapons."

Wilson had earlier pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge at a hearing in Inverness.

Lord Colbeck also ordered him to be supervised for a further three years on his release.

'Appalling attack'

The attack, which was captured on CCTV, occurred at about 09:00 after the victim started work at his nephew's shop.

The court heard how Wilson came into the shop and demanded £50. The shop worker called a relative for help and said he was going to call the police.

Wilson then went behind the counter and grabbed the man by the neck, shoved him to the floor and began punching him.

Prosecutor Anna Chisholm said: "He took several bottles of vodka and stamped on his head and body multiple times.

"He then made to leave the convenience store as the injured man attempted to use the counter to pull himself up."

But Wilson returned to the victim and hit him again before snatching a bundle of e-cigarettes.

He was then seen smirking as he walked out.

Bravery praised

A woman in the shop went to help the injured pensioner as Wilson then came back in again.

She shoved a display unit between her and Wilson to stop him inflicting further violence on the victim.

On being arrested, Wilson told police he had taken drugs and alcohol, adding he could not "believe what he had done" and that he was "heartbroken".

Lord Colbeck told Wilson: "It was an appalling attack on an elderly man doing his daily job and was made worse by you coming back to attack him again.

"The member of the public must be commended for her actions."

Det Insp Caroline Mackay said: "This was an extremely vicious and despicable display of violence against an elderly shop worker.

"The man suffered serious injuries and the long-term recovery time, as well as the emotional trauma caused by this attack, cannot be underestimated.

"We would like to thank the local community for their support during our investigation, in particular a woman who came to the aid of the elderly shop worker."