INTERNATIONAL referee Hugh Dallas yesterday told a court how he and his family had been watching the highlights of an Old Firm game when his two lounge windows came crashing in.
Mr Dallas had earlier that day been refereeing the Rangers and Celtic title decider during which he received a head injury when a coin was thrown from the crowd.
He was giving evidence during the trial of Kevin Dunn, 41, who was found guilty of damaging the property belonging to Mr Dallas by smashing two double glazed windows.
Dunn, a double-glazing executive who lives on the same housing estate as Mr Dallas in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, had put in a special defence of alibi which was not accepted by the court.
Yesterday at Motherwell District Court, Mr Dallas gave evidence that he had recognised Dunn walking passed his front door just seconds after hearing the loud crash at about 11pm on May 2 last year.
Mr Dallas, 42, told the court he had been sitting with his son Andrew, his wife Jacqueline, and his son's girlfriend Kerry McFadyen watching highlights of the match when the family were shocked by a loud crash.
Mr Dallas said: ''While I was watching the football I heard this loud bang we all looked at each other and I heard another bang.
''I jumped up and quickly ran to the front door. I thought it was someone banging on the windows or the door and my son and I went to investigate.''
Mr Dallas then told the court how he recognised Kevin Dunn, whom he had known for 20 years, walking passed his front door.
He added: ''By the time we opened the door he had passed and was walking between two cars on my driveway. It was Kevin Dunn. I told him I knew who it was. My son attempted to run after him but I told him not to because I knew who it was and I would let the police look after it.''
Mr Dallas' son Andrew, 17, then walked his girlfriend home before returning to his father's house in Morris Crescent where he saw the broken windows. The windows had been smashed in Mr Dallas' front room and a bottle of Miller lager was lying on the ground.
He said: ''Myself and my father went out of the door and he was in the driveway. I knew it was Kevin Dunn, he had a glazed look on his face. I noticed the windows had been smashed in the lounge. There was a beer bottle lying smashed below the windows.''
The teenager, who works for a window company, then admitted that Mr Dallas may have shouted to Dunn claiming, ''your tea's out''.
Giving evidence in court Ms McFadyen, 18, who was in Mr Dallas's home on the night of
the attack claimed Mr Dallas had fallen out with her because she had agreed to appear in court for the defence. She confirmed Mr Dallas shouted the phrase, which is a threatening slang term meaning ''your time is up''.
She said: ''When we went to the door, Andrew had gone to the edge of the garden and Hugh was saying 'Your tea's out'.''
Miss McFadyen has since fallen out with the Dallas' although she still talks to Andrew.
In his defence, Celtic supporter Dunn claimed that he had not been anywhere near the Dallas house, but had gone to the Dalziel Golf Club for a drink. He told the court he was a season ticket holder at Parkhead and had been at the match with his 7-year-old son Barry.
But he claimed that when they returned home after the game his son took ill and he rushed him to a nearby doctor.
He claimed it was only after that he went for a pint at the golf club and insisted he had felt sorry for Mr Dallas when had seen him covered in blood from the game. He also claimed Mr Dallas was a good referee and denied he was angry at the controversial decisions he took throughout the game.
Mr Dunn said: ''The decisions did not upset me and I felt sorry for him when I saw blood on his face. I was not happy, and I was not delirious. But I was last week. I sat in with a can of Guinness and watched the game again, again, and again. I was more upset at the time by my son's health than anything else. Mr Dallas is a fine referee, one of the best in the country and I was nowhere near his house.''
But Justice of the Peace Edith Ryan found Dunn guilty and in deferring sentence for a year she ordered him to be of good behaviour for one year and return to the court with #200 compensation for Mr Dallas.
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