Row over dogs led to assault on neighbour
Complaints about his noisy dogs led to a Bellshill man attacking a neighbour in their common garden.
Anthony Meechan choked a man before pinning him to the ground and punching him repeatedly.
Meechan, 50, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court this week.
He admitted assaulting the man, then aged 29, outside their homes in Elmbank Street on July 2 last year. Meechan also admitted failing to attend court for the case in March this year.
Lewis Devoy, prosecuting, said the victim was speaking to a female neighbour around 2pm when Meechan arrived in the garden with his two dogs.
Mr Devoy stated: 'There was an argument over the dogs which were barking.
'The accused asked [the victim] 'Do you want to go?', grabbed him by the throat and squeezed it.
'He then pushed his neighbour who fell on to steps. Meechan fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground, and punched him repeatedly on the face and head.
'[The victim] responded with punches of his own before the female neighbour stepped forward and pulled the accused off him.'
The victim sustained grazing and had back pain in the days that followed.
Defence agent Martin Hughes said Meechan has only a 'very limited' criminal record, adding: 'This was a dispute over the dogs more than anything else.'
Sheriff Michael Higgins deferred sentence until next month for background reports and continued bail.
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