A Tain man who attacked a mourner after a funeral wake was ordered to carry out 110 hours of unpaid community work yesterday.
Daniel McQuillan, 27, who had already spent four months in custody before being released on bail last month, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentence after a background report had been prepared.
The court had previously been told that the wake had turned violent when McQuillan, of Mansefield Estate, Tain, punched another mourner who was being abusive to his girlfriend.
David Murdoch was left with a fractured left sinus and a cut to his head that required three stitches after the single blow.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir had accepted that McQuillan had acted under provocation outside the Balintore Hotel on December 13 last year.
Solicitor advocate Shahid Latif 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.”
The court heard that all parties had been drinking at the wake and Mr Murdoch got into an argument with McQuillan’s girlfriend 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.
He added: “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’.'”