Alan MacDermid reports on the plight of an attack victim

LET US pray for the soul of Father Rotter, the monk in charge of wine

production at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. Of course crime committed by

drunks is the fault of the drunks, not the people who supply the drink.

I suppose that helps Father Rotter to sleep at night. Like Pontius

Pilate, he can wash his hands of the horrendous crime committed by Derek

Peacock, 19, for which he received the seemingly generous sentence of

one year's detention at the High Court in Airdrie.

Peacock, from Cumbernauld, had refreshed himself copiously with

Buckfast and Carlsberg lager before he and his friends pounced on

19-year-old Paul Dineley last year. He kicked Paul in the head when he

was down and, long after the youth was well and truly out, he went on

kicking.

Apart from his taste for drink and violence I know nothing about Derek

Peacock, but I have learned more about his victim. Long after Peacock

has left his cell Paul Dineley and his family will remain imprisoned in

their own private hell as a result of his crime.

Paul, now 20, was lucky to survive at all, but he has been left

permanently mentally disabled with a low intellect. He has problems with

memory, concentration, and behaviour. He has little insight into the sad

state he is in.

Before the attack he had a promising job, a girlfriend, and an active

social life. Because of it he has lost the job, the girlfriend has gone,

the pals have drifted away.

An active young man with a love of football has become a morose

hermit, with no energy, no motivation to do anything but sit in front of

the television all day.

When Paul was admitted to the Neurosurgery Unit of the Southern

General Hospital in Glasgow his parents were told he had a 50:50 chance

of survival, that if he did recover it would take a long time and he

would be left with brain damage.

''He made a recovery beyond our wildest dreams, but he is not the son

we knew,'' said Mrs Dineley. ''He still has behavioural problems. He

can't live independently or look after himself. His meals have to be

made for him and he can't handle money -- we are going to have a curator

bonis appointed to look after his financial affairs.''

The effect on his parents, Brian and Mary, has been devastating. At

the age of 50 they had seen a rebellious son mature into a young adult

who was going somewhere. After being in employment training he had got a

laboratory job at a local quarry just six weeks before the attack. Now

they are left, in effect, with a dependent child again -- one who may

never really grow up.

While his attacker receives what appears to them a smack on the wrist

for ruining their son's life, they have had to fight to get him the care

he needed. They had to seek a second opinion from a consultant and seek

the intervention of the then Health Minister, Michael Forsyth, to have

Paul referred to the Scotcare brain injury rehabilitation unit.

His physical recovery exceeded all expectations, but the behavioural

problems remain.

''When he was younger he was overactive and cheeky, and we had

problems, but he had grown out of that,'' said Mrs Dineley. ''I had a

great relationship with him. Now he gets abusive, he is not capable of

contributing to a relationship. He is socially isolated.''

The Dineleys' latest fight is to have him referred to the unique

Kemsley Unit in Northampton, which treats severe behavioural impairment.

They are still waiting for approval by the local health board. Paul has

already been turned down as unsuitable for treatment at the Royal

Edinburgh Hospital.

Paul's fate has also imposed a heavy financial burden on his parents.

His father looks after him full-time. Because of his problems with Paul

he lost his #20,000-a-year job and is in no position to chase another

one, so Mrs Dineley's wage as a nurse is the only money coming into the

house.

Understandably Mrs Dineley was bitter when she saw Derek Peacock's

pals give him the thumbs-up as he was led from the dock this week. ''I

don't believe in an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but what is

that going to do to discourage others from this kind of crime? He has no

future and we have no future because we have to look after him, and one

day we won't be here to do that.''

The Dineleys are now seeking redress from the Criminal Injuries

Compensation Board. Their case will probably still be grinding on when

Derek Peacock steps back on the street, and life and Buckfast Wine will

probably still be cheap.