A man who managed to snatch a baseball bat off a group of men who were trying to rob him ended up in the dock himself after he “overstepped the mark” while defending himself.
Dylan Dunlop sent his victim to the hospital after he battered him about the head and body with the bat – cracking it over the man’s face as he tried to flee.
The 27-year-old’s actions resulted in the man suffering a series of injuries, including a large lump to his forehead, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Fiscal depute Jane Spark told the court that on the afternoon of November 29 last year a group of three males were in a house in Northfield when they decided that “they were going to rob someone”.
Stealing a black metal baseball bat from a neighbour’s garden, the group then went to the skate park within Alan Douglas Park, where they approached Dunlop.
Hit full force to side of face with bat
A fight broke out between the group and, as one of them went to strike Dunlop, he was disarmed and his potential victim managed to take possession of the bat.
The two other members of the group fled, leaving their friend on the ground with Dunlop standing over him.
Dunlop struck him on the leg with the bat as he begged him to stop.
“A female passerby approached Dunlop and challenged him,” Ms Spark said.
“Whilst the accused was engaged in conversation with the woman, the complainer stood up and attempted to flee.
“The accused ran after him, raised the bat using both hands and struck the complainer with full force to the left side of his face, causing him to fall to the ground.”
As the woman helped the injured man up off the ground, Dunlop walked off with the baseball bat towards Northfield Swimming Pool.
Dylan Dunlop ‘overstepped the mark’
When Dunlop’s victim attended Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and was medically assessed he was found to have sustained a large lump to his forehead, a small laceration to the inner right side of his mouth and a puncture wound to his right shin.
He received paper stitches and a half-limb bandage to his right shin.
Later that day, Dunlop walked into Kittybrewster Police Station and he was arrested.
Appearing in the dock, Dunlop pleaded guilty to one charge of assault to injury.
Defence solicitor Graham Morrison told the court that his client was initially the victim in this case as three males had set out to assault and rob someone.
“What the accused has told me is that he was with a friend and it was three against two,” Mr Morrison said.
“His friend leaves the scene and there’s a fight and blows are struck by my client, but most of those are in self-defence.
“He overstepped the mark, but he was quite angry about what had happened – he was also quite disorientated.”
Sheriff Ian Miller told Dunlop he had to take account of his actions where he went “beyond self-defence”.
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Miller made Dunlop, of Briarfield Terrace, Aberdeen, subject to a community payback order and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
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