Two “have-a-go” heroes were praised by a sheriff after they stopped a vicious city centre attack by a former amateur boxer.
Craig Cornish, 30, brother of 27-year-old British heavyweight title hopeful Gary, was jailed for 27 months at Inverness Sheriff Court after he admitted “a vicious and sustained attack” on 18-year-old Liam Ross by repeatedly punching and kicking him on the head and body, stamping on his head and robbing him of a mobile phone, bank cards and cash in Inverness’s Church Street on March 11 this year.
Sheriff Margaret Neilson told Cornish, who had a bad record of previous convictions: “Thanks to the intervention of two public spirited members of the public, you were restrained and prevented from going further.
“CCTV shows you raining punches on your victim who was lying on the ground. It also showed a vicious stamp to his head.
“Your solicitor suggests that the reason for this was a drug deal going wrong.
“I have no idea whether this is right or not and if his name has been blackened unfairly or not, but it is not an excuse for a violent assault.
“There is no doubt the businessman and the Polish man prevented the situation from getting worse.”
The court heard that Cornish’s life had been blighted by drug addiction and his offending began when his third child died.
Defence lawyer Marc Dickson added: “He tells me it was a drug deal gone wrong. He says that he handed over £10 and did not get what he anticipated.
“Both men were intoxicated and it set off a chain of events. He was looking through Mr Ross’ pockets to get his £10 back which he maintains was fraudulently taken from him.”
Sheriff Neilson viewed the CCTV footage and looked shocked as Cornish, whose address was given as Inverness Prison, unleashed a brutal flurry of blows and kicks to Ross’s curled up body on the pavement, as the young man screamed for help.
The film also showed a businessman and a Polish man who was heading home on his bike intervene and hold Cornish until the police arrived.
Cornish has been in custody since the assault and was originally been charged with attempted murder.
But fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the sheriff that the injuries were not as serious as first thought.
He said: “Essentially it was a black eye which required five stitches. But Mr Ross’s face was badly swollen and witnesses spoke of him being covered in blood.
“He suffered blurred vision for a few weeks but there was no permanent impairment. The medical staff were concerned about the head injury and the photographs show his face was badly swollen.”