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A DISABLED Celtic fan was jailed yesterday for battering a Rangers supporter with his metal crutch.

Hoops fan Robert Stevenson hit Norman Allardice – who plays in a flute band and is known as Noddy the Proddy – so hard his crutch broke.

Stevenson, 45, who was crippled in a work accident, was jailed for nine months after admitting assault to severe injury.

Despite his injuries and walking with a limp Stevenson,45,was seen on CCTV running after Mr Allardice in the street and repeatedly raining down blows on his head.

After Mr Allardice collapsed in a pool of blood, Stevenson fled the scene before being later traced to his home and arrested.

The court heard he hit the Gers fan so hard that his crutch broke in half.

Yesterday at Dumbarton Sheriff Court he was jailed for nine months after admitting assaulting Mr Allardice to his severe injury.

(Image: Media Scotland/Phil Dye)

The court heard both men, who knew each other, had been out drinking separately in the same pub, the Burgh Bar in Dumbarton, when an argument over the Old Firm erupted between them in September last year.

Fiscal depute Sarah Healing told the court Stevenson of Bellsway, Dumbarton, was on crutches due to a long term leg injury.

She told how they grappled in the pub before being separated and leaving.

But outside they clashed again.

She said: “This resulted in the accused striking the complainer (Mr Allardice) on the head and body with one of his crutches.

“The accused then followed the complainer and struck him on the head and body again. As a result the complainer fell to the ground bleeding from his head. The attack continued until a passerby intervened.”

She said Mr Allardice was so badly injured he was in no state to defend himself as Stevenson continued to batter him with his crutch.

Police and an ambulance were soon in attendance and Mr Allardice was taken to the Royal Alexander Hospital in Paisley where he required a total of nineteen stitches to three separate had wounds.

Luckily, Mr Allardice has suffered no lasting effects from the brutal attack, the court was told.

Defence agent Peter Young said there had initially been an argument in the pub about football.

He told the court: “It was fairly light hearted and it was about the Old Firm. Mr Stevenson supports Celtic and most of the others in the bar supported Rangers“.

He said it was ‘banter’ but it was ‘taken to a new level by Mr Allardyce’.

He said his client thought Mr Allardice was acting aggressively towards him and was ‘fired up’ and was in ‘my client’s face’ before the clash in the pub broke out.

Mr Young said that later when his client saw Allardice approaching him outside he feared he was going to be attacked by him.

He said: “He felt vulnerable as he was on crutches and feared that if Mr Allardice got him on the ground he would not be able to defend himself.”

But he accepted his client’s response was ‘well short of self defence’.

He said he was currently involved in a damages claim for the injury he was suffering from at the time. He said that the effects of the injury were still being felt by him and that he may well have to be fitted with an artificial ankle.

In jailing Stevenson, Sheriff Derek Hamilton said that his reaction in the pub was to some extent understandable.

He added: “But what happened outside took it to a different level.

“It’s clear that you pursued Mr Allardice over the road and whacked him over the head several times in effect with a metal weapon, your crutch. This is completely unacceptable”.

The victim yesterday told how he was "left for dead" by Stevenson and denied that they had clashed over their rival clubs.

Rangers fan Norman, 48, said he didn't know Stevenson and the "random"attack came after he joked about the choice of tunes on the juke box in the Burgh Bar.

The dad said: "Stevenson knows I'm well known around here. I'm known as Noddy the Proddy and for playing in the flute band.

"He's used sectarianism as a get out clause but it's not true. I've just been speaking to some Celtic fans now."

Norman said Stevenson deserved to be jailed for the attack.

He said: "He left me for dead in the high street. "I only remember the first whack, then I saw the blood. But I was told

there was 15 to 20 more after that. The crutch broke into five pieces.

"I needed 18 stitches. I'll be making a claim against him."

Stevenson posted a Facebook message hours before his sentencing asking pals to start a campaign if he was jailed.

He said: "Hi ho hi ho... It's off to court I go. Say no to sectarianism. We must stand as one."