Harrison admits behaviour 'shame'

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Former world boxing champion Scott Harrison has admitted he was "ashamed" of his behaviour after being convicted of causing a disturbance in a pub.

Harrison, 30, pleaded guilty to breaching the peace and resisting arrest in the incident.

But he was cleared of a further charge of later assaulting Pc Iain Gray at a police station in Glasgow.

Sentence on Harrison and two other accused was deferred until next month at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

The court was told the boxer ran from the Counting House pub in Glasgow and had to be chased by a police officer before he could be caught and handcuffed during the incident on 22 April, 2006.

I'm just ashamed of my behaviour of the past two years and appearing in the courts time after time Scott Harrison

Speaking outside the court, Harrison said: "The not guilty verdict was not guilty because the facts of the case were full of holes but I'm just glad to put it all behind me.

"I'm just ashamed of my behaviour of the past two years and appearing in the courts time after time.

"I'm looking forward to 2008 and hope the boxing organisation will give me my licence back and I can become champion again for Scotland. The past two years have been a total nightmare."

The court heard that Harrison, and his co-accused Paul Hinde, 30, and Christopher Lennon, 22, went into the kitchen of the pub in St Vincent Place to complain after a drink was spilled over Hinde.

Four police officers then came into the pub and escorted the three, who had been drinking lager, to the fire exit area where Hinde and Harrison broke away from the officers.

Difficult time

The court heard that Harrison then ran outside and had to be chased by a police officer who managed to pin him against refuse bins and handcuff him while the boxer struggled violently.

Pc Gray told the court that Harrison later tried to knee him in the groin and ended up kicking him on the leg at the police station.

But his colleague Pc Scott Bailey told the court he did not see Harrison make contact with Pc Gray.

On the night in question the three of you were three drunks who were out of control Sheriff Lindsay Wood

Massimo Franchi, representing Harrison, of Cambuslang, near Glasgow, said his client had been going through a difficult time when he committed the offences.

He said: "Alcohol began to feature more and more in his life and he began to spiral out of control. The best way to describe him was that he simply pressed the self destruct button."

Mr Franchi said Harrison had taken steps to get his life back together, and no longer drank alcohol.

Deferring sentence until 10 March for reports, Sheriff Lindsay Wood told the accused: "On the night in question the three of you were three drunks who were out of control showing no respect to anyone in a busy city centre pub."

Hinde, from Rutherglen, pleaded guilty to breach of the peace in the pub and resisting arrest.

Lennon, also from Rutherglen, pleaded guilty to breach of the peace in the pub and in West Nile Street on the way to the police station.