A violent thug, who assaulted a 64-year-old stranger in Inverkeithing leaving him with a fractured skull, has been jailed.

Lennon McAlpine also attacked two shop workers in a separate incident, biting one of them and kicking the other.

McAlpine, 25, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court by video-link from prison for sentencing.

He previously admitted that on April 28, at an off-licence, Cromwell Road, Burntisland, he stole two bottles of alcohol.

Then he assaulted a man in the course of his employment, struggled with him, repeatedly punched him on the head, scratched his face with his fingernails and repeatedly bit him on the body to his injury.

He then assaulted another shop worker, punched him on the head, causing him to fall to the ground and kicked him on the body to his injury.

McAlpine further admitted that on May 10, at Houliston Avenue, Inverkeithing, he assaulted a man by punching him on the head, causing him to fall to the ground and strike his head on the pavement to his severe injury.

The shop assaults took place when McAlpine was trying to steal two bottles of Buckfast and was stopped by the workers.

The Inverkeithing incident was caught on CCTV. It involved McAlpine becoming involved in an argument with the 64-year-old man, hitting him and knocking him to the ground, where he struck his head.

He was rushed to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and found to have a fractured skull and a bleed on the brain.

McAlpine has been appearing in court regularly since he was 16 and has served previous jail terms.

Sheriff Susan Duff jailed McAlpine for three years, backdated to May 24 when he was remanded in custody.