A funeral wake turned violent when a Tain man punched another mourner.
David Murdoch was left with a fractured left sinus and a cut to his head that required three stitches after the single blow delivered by 27-year-old Daniel McQuillan.
He admitted at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday assaulting Mr Murdoch under provocation outside the Balintore Hotel on December 13 last year.
Sentence was deferred until May 3 for a background report and McQuillan was released on bail.
He had been remanded in custody for a total of 117 days, said his defence lawyer, Shahid Latif, who asked Sheriff Margaret Neilson to liberate his client.
The solicitor advocate told the court: “He told police he tried to help Mr Murdoch who went for him first. He also indicated in his police interview that he shouldn’t have hit him, that he was sorry but reacted because he felt threatened.
“My client has spent the equivalent of a 234 day jail sentence, it is accepted the offence was committed under provocation. So he could be afforded bail to his mother’s address in Mansefield estate, Tain.
“He also has a job to go to on his release.”
The court heard that all parties had been drinking at the wake and Mr Murdoch got into an argument with McQuillan’s girlfriend, Natasha Gardner, at her father’s funeral.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said McQuillan intervened because he didn’t like the way Mr Murdoch was speaking to his girlfriend.
“Both men were getting into each others faces. There was a bit of pushing and McQuillan punched David Murdoch to the face, knocking him to the ground.
“When charged with the assault, he replied: ‘I wish it had never happened.’” Mr Weir added.