An Aberdeen man who lashed out at two men and left them permanently scarred has been locked up after being branded a “risk to the public”.
Steven Dunlop left one of his victims with permanent nerve damage after stabbing him in the hand during a pre-arranged fight, for which he’d armed himself with a knife.
And in another incident, he hit a man with a metal pole – leaving him with a scar above his eye – before discovering it was a case of mistaken identity.
Yesterday, the 18-year-old was locked up for 29 months when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for sentencing.
He will now miss the birth of his first child which is expected in two months’ time.
The court heard that Dunlop had a long standing feud with Joshua Smith, who messaged him on New Year’s Day saying they should resolve their differences with a “square go.”
The pair eventually met up in the city, and Dunlop produced a knife causing his opponent to back down from the fight.
Fearing his safety, Mr Smith fled to a set of flats on Old Town Terrace where he tried to gain entry to his friend’s house.
But the court heard that when he turned around, Dunlop was approaching him with a knife in his hand. He attempted to block it but his right hand was cut and his face was later struck.
Fiscal depute John Richardson said: “He has a scar on his nose and feels people constantly look at him in the street because of it.
“The cut was three inches deep on his right hand.
“He has undergone treatment but still has numbness.”
Dunlop also admitted attacking Jamie Davidson with a metal pole in the early hours of the morning on October 29 last year.
He mistook Davidson for someone else who he had a historic feud with over a housebreaking and struck him with a metal pole on Richmond Street in Aberdeen.
He was hit above his left eye and has been left with a scar as a result.
Representing Dunlop, whose address was given as Marchburn Road in Aberdeen, defence agent John Hardie said: “Him and his partner are expecting the birth of their first child in two months’ time.
“He knows what happened is an absolute disgrace, he has accepted that and pleaded guilty.”
Sheriff Graeme Napier, imposing a sentence, said: “The social work report identifies the risk you post to the public.”
After his release, Dunlop will be under supervision for six months.