Midlothian man dubbed ‘Tartan Army Tommy’ at World Cup jailed after carrying out brutal street attack
Bonnyrigg man went viral after World Cup romance in Boston
A member of the Tartan Army who went viral after striking up a romance with an American woman during the World Cup has been jailed after he carried out a brutal street attack.
Thomas Morrison left victim Ryan Wain bloodied and unconscious and suffering from a fractured skull when the pair clashed in the street outside a pub in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, last year.
Morrison, 38, was heard to brand Mr Wain “a wife beater” before dragging the man to the ground where he smashed his head on the concrete.
The thug then repeatedly punched Mr Wain to the head and body before fleeing the scene, leaving his victim lying out cold and seriously injured in the street.
Police arrived to find Mr Wain drifting in and out of consciousness and with severe swelling to his skull, and blood coming from his mouth and ear. He was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where medics diagnosed him with a frontal skull fracture.
The injuries have subsequently left Mr Wain suffering from hearing loss and a lack of of smell and taste.
Morrison later handed himself into police, and he pled guilty to assaulting Mr Wain to his severe injury and permanent impairment on May 25 last year, when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.
The joiner became an internet sensation when he was dubbed ‘Tartan Army Tommy’ after a chance meeting with US mum Jill Roberts during Scotland’s World Cup adventure.
Jill had been attending a Boston Red Sox game when she met Morrison who was heading towards a train station. The 42-year-old recorded the couple’s encounter on her phone and the video quickly attracted thousands of views after she posted it on social media.
They began messaging each other on WhatsApp and their relationship soon turned romantic, and the Massachusets native, who became dubbed “Boston Jill” later planned to fly to Scotland to hook up with Morrison.
However the relationship soon fizzled out after Jill walked away due to Morrison having “unresolved connections with the past”.
At the time, the American mum said: “He has some unresolved connections with the past that he needs to resolve or pursue. I am walking away from this relationship with my head held high, feeling good and having clarity on it.”
Morrison, from Bonnyrigg, returned to the dock at the Capital court for sentencing today, Friday, October 30, where defence lawyer Emma Martin said her client takes “full responsibility for what happened that day”.
Ms Martin told the court the attack had been caught on CCTV, lasting just 24 seconds, and the social work report has deemed Morrison as a low risk of re-offending.
Sheriff Christopher Dickson said: “This was an appalling attack on the complainer. You threw him to the ground and caused him to strike his head and lose consciousness.
“You then repeatedly punched and kicked the defenceless and unconscious complainer to the head and body.”
Morrison was sentenced to a 14 month jail term and had a non-harassment order imposed banning him from having any contact with his victim for an indefinite period.