A man has been jailed after he threw a chair at a fellow punter in an Aberdeen pub and left him scarred.
Hugh Fletcher, 31, had been drinking in the Central Bar on Great Northern Road on February 16 with his brother when they had got talking to the man, who was also a regular.
Things became heated between the parties and Fletcher and the man arm wrestled before he later struck him with the chair, knocking him out and leaving him bleeding on the bar floor.
Fiscal depute Felicity Merson told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “At one point the accused and his brother engaged in conversation with the complainer.
“The accused’s brother told staff the complainer had been rude and disrespectful.
“The bar supervisor was concerned by his body language that the complainer was going to arm wrestle.
“They did so and the accused won.”
They were told not to arm wrestle again.
Fletcher’s brother then approached the complainer again and spoke to him, before the man slammed a glass down on the table.
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Mrs Merson said: “The accused picked up a chair and threw it, striking him on the forehead, knocking him unconscious, falling straight back onto the floor where he lay with blood pouring from his head.”
The accused and his brother left while members of staff tried to tend to the man.
He was taken to hospital and remained unconscious on arrival.
The man was left with a 4cm laceration to his forehead which was cleaned and closed with steri strips and glue.
Despite the injury leaving a scar, Mrs Merson said: “He does not feel disfigured by it.”
Fletcher, who was described in court documents as a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to assault to injury and permanent disfigurement.
Defence solicitor John Hardie said his client had had a difficult upbringing with both parents alcoholics and “criminality commonplace”.
After his father died he was “left to fend for himself”.
Mr Hardie said: “At the time in question he was socialising with his younger brother. He recalls the atmosphere being boisterous.
“He recalls a confrontation between his younger brother and the complainer, who is a much larger gentleman and appeared to be the aggressor.
“The complainer stood up and slammed his glass on the table and Mr Fletcher reacted instinctively by effectively launching the chair across the room.
“He fully accepts that was a massive overreaction. He lashed out in a destructive way and wishes very much he had kept a cool head.”
Mr Hardie added his client had since apologised to the man and said: “that apology was accepted.”
Sheriff Philip Mann jailed Fletcher for 22 months.
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