A TEENAGER who admitted assaulting two people has been given a minimal sentence after claiming he wants to join the armed forces.
Dean Kerr, 18, from Edinburgh, pled guilty to the two separate incidents on 22 March 2009, both in the Sighthill area of the city.
He was charged with punching a man repeatedly on the head and body to his injury, and later assaulting a second man by also punching him repeatedly on the head and body.
Today (Tue) at Edinburgh Sheriff Court he was sentenced to 80 hours of community service – the minimum amount – to allow him to go on to apply for the army as soon as possible.
Defence solicitor Iain Tweedie said: “Mr Kerr hopes to go on to apply to join the armed forces and any sentence imposed on him will obviously mean he cannot do that until it is complete.
“He tells me that he is bored, and if he were given a community service order it would give him something to do, meaning he could work out his sentence as quickly as he chooses to.”
Sheriff James Scott said: “The armed forces could teach a young man like you how to behave responsibly.
“I am sentencing you to 80 hours of unpaid work in the community, which is the minimum amount, so you can get on with your application.
“However, if you commit any other offences while on the order and end up in any court, or do not complete it, you will come back before me and I will treat this matter as though no order had ever been imposed.
“The likely outcome in that circumstance would be that you would face a custodial sentence.”
