Thomas Proudfoot sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl at a secluded part of the Forth and Clyde canal path near Old Kilptarick.

He repeatedly pushed the terrified young woman to the ground and dragged her to an area of grassland.

A second teenager was also charged in relation to the attack, but was later cleared of any involvement.

Proudfoot, who has prosthetic arms and legs, also exposed himself to his victim, made sexual demands and kicked her on the head and body.

The 17-year-old, who lost his limbs when he was hit by a train in 2012, also admitted carrying out a number of vicious assaults including one in which he broke someone’s jaw using his artificial arm.

He appeared in the dock at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last week for sentencing.

Just minutes after Proudfoot’s distressed victim raised the alarm following the sex attack on September 1 last year, two Clydebank-based patrol cars raced to a pathway which runs alongside the Forth and Clyde canal.

Officers then found the young woman at a secluded corner of Old Kilpatrick to the rear of Gavinburn Street and Portpatrick Road at around 1.50am.

Following the incident a large section of land where the assault took place was taped off to allow for a forensic investigation to take place and police then scoured the area for evidence for most of the night.

Proudfoot’s attack came just months after he used his prosthetic arm, which is fitted with a claw device, as a weapon in a violent attack which left his victim requiring stitches for a head injury and surgery for a broken jaw.

The teenager then turned his attention towards police officers who had arrived at the scene on May 17 last year after receiving reports of a disturbance in the area.

Claire Martin, fiscal depute, told the court that after officers arrived they saw a number of men run off towards Knightswood and noticed a large amount of blood and broken glass on the platform. Cops then spotted Proudfoot, who was visibly injured following an earlier altercation, and went to speak to him however he started to run off as they approached him.

An officer eventually grabbed Proudfoot but he kicked the cop using his metal prosthetic legs and attempted to strike at his face with his prosthetic arm before he was eventually arrested.

Proudfoot also spat at a policeman, hitting him in the eye and mouth, after being detained by officers on March 23 last year and attempted to strike another man with his prosthetic hook just over a week later.

Jim Friel, defending, said he did not seek to minimise the seriousness of any of the offences his client faced.

It was also heard that after committing the sex assault Proudfoot — who was described as someone of “considerable complexity” — had given police a detailed account of his behaviour.

In addition it was highlighted he had recognised his actions would merit a custodial sentence.

However, Sheriff Simon Fraser questioned whether Proudfoot had actually taken responsibility for his actions, adding: “I’m not convinced you really accept what you did was wrong.” He also said when deciding an appropriate sentence he had to consider punishment, retribution and public protection and couldn’t overlook the “appalling ordeal” to which Proudfoot had subjected the girl.

Proudfoot’s sex attack earned him a seven-year sentence, three years of which will be served in custody with a four year extension. He was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and was given a concurrent 12 month sentence for each of his other offences.

THOMAS Proudfoot was left fighting for his life when he was hit by a train travelling from Larkhall to Dalmuir in January 2012.

The former Boclair Academy pupil wasn't named in press reports at the time of the horror accident but it was revealed that he was so badly injured he lost all his limbs. Reports said he was rushed from an area close to Westerton Railway Station to the city's Western Infirmary before being transferred to the Southern General Hospital where he was treated for what police described as "severe, life-changing injuries."