South Lanarkshire Council has confirmed its CCTV cameras in East Kilbride Village were "not recording" when thugs carried out a brutal attack on former East Kilbride Thistle boss, Alan Paterson.
Mr Paterson was beaten so badly he lost consciousness and was left scarred for life after a gang of men attacked him and two friends in the Village last month.
The traumatic incident effectively ended his 40-year career in football, as the father-of-two struggled to come to terms with the ordeal which left him with a huge scar on his face and his young children "scared".
Following the attack it emerged that despite there being council-operated CCTV cameras near to where the incident happened, none were recording at the time.
No one has yet been arrested in connection with the incident that took place on April 4. Police Scotland say enquiries remain ongoing to identify the suspects.
East Kilbride residents were left reeling after the brutal attack on the community stalwart and demands have been voiced to establish why nearby cameras were out-of-use in an area which has seen escalating violence in recent months.
Two people have appeared in private at Hamilton Sheriff Court in relation to an attempted murder on Montgomery Street on April 29, which saw a 50-year-old man hospitalised with serious injuries.
Fears have also been raised by Village traders and residents that booze and drug-fuelled anti-social behaviour linked to Lindsay House homeless unit was turning the conservation area in to a "no-go zone".
A Freedom of Information request by the East Kilbride News revealed that police attended more than 700 times in just two years before our high profile press campaign highlighted continued problems there.
A closure date for the troubled homeless unit is yet to be decided by South Lanarkshire Council.
CCTV was upgraded in the Village a number of years ago after East Mains community council and Councillor Joe Fagan raised concerns about public safety.
Commenting on the attack on Alan Paterson, Councillor Fagan said: "We fought as a community to get CCTV upgraded in the Village several years ago. It’s desperately disappointing that the equipment we fought for wasn’t operational when it was needed most.
"Having good CCTV doesn’t just help detect heinous crimes like this one, it helps to prevent disorder and violence and keep people safe. The Village should be protected with modern, state-of-the-art CCTV all year round."
Police told us there were two council-operated cameras in the Village that are "fully operational with no issues", adding that the assault on the ex-Jags boss may have happened at a public house where the private CCTV was inoperable.
East Kilbride Police Sergeant Scott Anderson said officers have responded to recent isolated acts of disorder within the Village area by providing extra high visibility patrols in the area and carrying out licence premises visits.
Sgt Anderson said: "I can reassure the public that public space CCTV is in operation to provide additional security and comfort. We will continue to patrol the Village area and engage with the local community."
A council spokesman said: "The incident involving Mr Paterson occurred on Glebe Street, where South Lanarkshire Council do not own or operate any CCTV cameras. The council has two Public Space Cameras in East Kilbride Village, both of which are fully operational and recording - Junction of Main Street/ Montgomery Street and Junction of Kittoch Street/ Montgomery Street.
"Recordings from these cameras in relation to this incident were requested on April 8. Unfortunately, during the time of this incident there was a fault with the operating system resulting in a failure to record live images which has now been resolved."
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