Prison for street attacks

After police let him off with a warning, Loughran struck again. This time he hid in the back of a 33-year-old company director's Mercedes when she stopped for a pint of milk, told her he had a gun and threatened to blow her head off.

Loughran, 32, of Lincoln Avenue, Knightswood, Glasgow, denied the charges but was convicted by a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court of assaulting Elizabeth Stenhouse and Linda Mawson on January 18 this year.

Sheriff Graham Johnston sent Loughran to the High Court in Edinburgh for sentence after hearing that his criminal record included an eight-year sentence in 1989 for robbery and assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

The sheriff decided his maximum sentencing power of three years was inadequate.

Mr Simon Di Rollo, Advocate-depute, told the High Court yesterday that Miss Stenhouse has learning difficulties and because of her condition was not called to give evidence at Loughran's trial.

Witnesses described how she had been approached by the accused as she was walking along Byres Road. He manhandled her and began pushing and pulling her into Ashton Lane towards the Grosvenor cinema.

Although the distressed victim had a handbag over her shoulder, Loughran made no effort to grab it from her and his precise motive had not been established. When police arrived at the cinema they found Miss Stenhouse in a distressed condition in the foyer.

Mr Di Rollo added: ''Officers took Loughran aside and gave him a warning regarding his behaviour and that appears to have been an end of the matter.''

He described the second offence, which took place later that same evening, as a much more serious and significant crime.

Mrs Mawson, a director with an engineering firm, had parked her car in Dumbarton Road while she went into a shop to buy a pint of milk. She got back in and drove towards a nearby video shop.

As she was pulling into the shop, she was suddenly grabbed from behind by Loughran, who had concealed himself in the back of her car.

He grabbed her round the throat with both arms and wrenched her head back while the car was still moving. She was choking and thought that her attacker was trying to strangle her.

She felt something cold and hard against the back of her head and thought it was a gun. Loughran told her: ''Drive, or I will blow your f...ing head off.''

He put a hand round her mouth to stifle her screams. As Mrs Mawson struggled, she bit down hard, trying to fight him off but managed only to bite her own finger.

She did manage to grab Loughran's hair and pulled hard. The car was still moving and she got both hands on the steering wheel and leaned against the horn. Loughran let go because of a combination of Mrs Mawson fighting back and the horn sounding and she managed to stop the car.

Two men emerged from the video shop and Loughran ran off, shouting: ''It's all her fault.''

They called the police by mobile telephone and went to help Mrs Mawson, who by now was hysterical.

Mr Di Rollo added that again there did not seem to be any motive for the attack, which had been an appalling and very traumatic one for the victim.

She had been off work for five weeks after the incident with injuries to her neck and back and was left very frightened of going out alone at night.

Mr Lorenzo Alonzi, defence counsel, told the court that Loughran, who did not give evidence on his own behalf at his trial, maintained his innocence.

Lord Cullen, the Lord Justice- Clerk, said the offences were extremely serious, involving violence towards women on the same day.

The second offence was especially grave and the car driver had been subjected to a terrifying experience.

''It is quite plain I have to consider not merely the gravity of these offences but also the need for the protection of the public against such conduct on your part.

''The matter is aggravated by your previous record and I require to impose a substantial custodial sentence to reflect matters that are of public importance.''