A THREE Towns teen who fractured a young boy's skull after repeatedly stamping on the victim's head until he was knocked unconsciousness has been locked up for the brutal and unprovoked attack.

The callous offender, who cannot be named due to his age, only stopped the violent assault when others intervened, a sentencing hearing was told.

The youth appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week having previously admitted to carrying out the attack in Irvine.

The incident took place on the town's Broomlands Busway, around the South Vennel area, on August 4 last year.

During an earlier court appearance, the teenager, who was 16 at the time, was said to have passed the complainer - aged 15 - in a silver car.

The youth exited the vehicle and began shouting at the boy, who was standing with his girlfriend and brother, before throwing a punch at him which caused him to fall to the ground.

The Three Towns boy then repeatedly stamped and kicked the victim on the head, causing him to lose consciousness.

An ambulance was called and the complainer was taken to Crosshouse Hospital with a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

The now 17-year-old was traced by police at his home the following day, before being arrested and charged.

The court was told how the victim of the shocking attack underwent surgery to remove a haematoma in his brain, and that he was now making a good recovery despite the "potentially life-threatening" injuries.

The incident took place on the Broomalnds Bus Way.The incident took place on the Broomalnds Bus Way. (Image: Street View)

Defending the Three Towns teen at court last week, solicitor Brian Holliman asked Sheriff Colin Bissett to step back from imposing a custodial sentence.

He commented: "He fully recognises that an offence of this nature passes the threshold for custody.

"This incident was an unprovoked attack. There was history between him and the complainer bit not an immediate history. There had been verbal fights but nothing more than that. It had gone on for months but there had been a gap for months.

"On the day in question it was not the case that he actively went out seeking him. It was a chance encounter.

"He was only 16 at the time of the offence and is still only 17. His lack of maturity meant he did not think consequentially or about what his actions would lead to.

"He did not for a second think about him ending up in hospital with very serious injuries.

"He has very serious regret and it caused him to reflect on the wrongfulness of his conduct and the consequences if he is to behave this way in the future."

Mr Holliman added that the youngster had not come to the attention of the court since the incident - which has cast "a considerable shadow over him".

The solicitor added: "[The outcome] is not inevitable; take a chance on this young man. Don’t send him to detention."

Addressing the youth, Sheriff Bissett said: “I was told that you were punching him, caused him to fall to the ground, stamped repeatedly on his head until unconscious – only stopping because of intervention from other people.

“The threshold for a custodial sentence has been passed.

“You were only 16 at the time of the offence, I take that into account – you might not have been fully thinking of the consequences of your actions.

“However, in my view, none of these reasons are enough to persuade me that a period of detention must not be imposed.”

The teen was sentenced to a 16-month period of detention in a young offender's institution.

The sheriff added: "This is a much lower custodial period than someone older would have received."