Former Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus has spoken of the “trauma” she experienced after being hit with a guitar case two years ago.
The 38-year-old was assaulted by Derek McArthur in Shawlands, Glasgow, in January 2017.
He appeared at Glasgow’s Justice of the Peace Court and was fined £350.
In a statement given to the Press Association, the singer said she was relieved to draw a line under the episode but criticised the penalty.
She said: “Two years ago, I was assaulted in the street by a man who has now been found guilty.
“However, the impact of what happened to me that night goes beyond that one act of violence.”
She added: “A woman was physically assaulted by a man in the street yet it was sickeningly treated as a joke by hundreds of people on social media and some news organisations.
“In that respect, the impact of the assault endured well beyond the night it happened.
“I was assaulted with a guitar case. Had it been a hammer or a knife would such an act of violence have been treated as lightly?”
The Glaswegian shot to fame as the second Pop Idol winner in 2003 and has gone on to work as a television and radio presenter.
She added: “Today is International Women’s Day. Yesterday the man who assaulted me was given a £350 fine.
“Attitudes surrounding violence against women cannot be seriously challenged when a man convicted of assaulting a woman can simply write a cheque as his punishment.
“In this era of #metoo we must expect more.
“I am relieved to now draw a line under this traumatic episode, and thank everyone who supported me for their kind words and encouragement.”
