A THUG who launched a vicious bottle attack on a man before robbing him of £1,200 at a busy railway station has been locked up.
Craig Richardson, 41, stalked his victim through Hamilton Central station before smashing his head into a ticket machine, repeatedly punching him and clubbing him with a Buckfast bottle.
Craig Richardson has been jailed for the ‘relentless’ attackCredit: Unknown
Richardson, of Park Crescent, Strathaven, pleaded guilty to robbery and assault at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, and was jailed for 20 months.
The court heard how Richardson was loitering at the station when he spotted the victim walking past while talking on his phone just before 8.30pm on September 1, 2025.
The thug turned, followed him into a sheltered waiting area and suddenly grabbed him by the head, and hitting it against the ticket machine.
As the victim fell to the ground, Richardson demanded his bag, snatched his wallet and rained punches on the back of his head.
He then pulled a bottle of Buckfast from his trouser pocket and attacked the man with it.
The brute eventually fled the station — but the terrified victim chased after him, confronting Richardson in the street.
Richardson brandished the bottle again, threatening the victim to stay back before escaping.
British Transport Police launched an immediate investigation, trawling through vast amounts of CCTV, which allowed detectives to identify Richardson and track his movements.
He was arrested on Tuesday, September 23, and appeared in court the following day.
BTP Detective Constable Finlay Bruce said: “Richardson acted with incredible aggression, and his relentless and crazed assault could have resulted in significantly more serious injuries for the victim.
“His attack was also clearly premeditated – he watched his victim walk past him and stalked him through the station before attacking him in front of another terrified member of the public.
“His shameless and brutal assault will stay with the victim for some time, and I hope the sentence brings his victim some sense of closure.
“We take every report of violence on the railway network extremely seriously, and I encourage anyone who is the victim of, or witness to, an incident to report it to us – our officers will conduct immediate enquiries to trace offenders, taking advantage of the wealth of CCTV footage we have access to.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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