A drunken thug who kicked a man in the head as he lay on the ground has been given unpaid work.
Liam Anderson, 22, launched the vicious assault on his victim in the early hours of the morning on Bon Accord Street in the city centre.
And Sheriff Mungo Bovey warned the attack was “potentially fatal”, however the man escaped with just a broken nose.
Depute fiscal Anna Chisholm told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the victim was not known to Anderson, but that he (Anderson) went to college with a female friend of the victim.
She said around 2am an “issue arose over some suggestion the accused was following the female friend of the complainer and approached her and made a vulgar comment towards her”.
She went on: “When the man and his group of friends left the nightclub they had been in, the accused was also there with friends.
“The accused and his friends tried to gain entry to a casino. They were refused entry and some information was passed on to the door stewards from the complainer’s group of friends about the accused’s earlier behaviour. This started a physical altercation.”
Ms Chisholm said: “The accused punched the man, causing him to fall to the ground, and was seen to kick him twice to the head.
“Police on mobile patrol had stopped and broke up the disturbance and the accused fled the scene.”
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She added the man was taken to hospital with a broken nose.
Anderson, of Bedford Avenue, Aberdeen, previously pled guilty to assault to injury over the incident, which happened on May 31 last year.
Addressing defence solicitor Gregor Kelly, Sheriff Bovey said: “A kick to the head is potentially fatal isn’t it?”
Mr Kelly said: “He appreciates his conduct was absolutely abhorrent and he went far too far. It’s not an excuse but he was heavily under the influence at the time.”
He added that since the incident there had been a “sea-change” in his client, who had not touched alcohol for six months.
Sheriff Bovey ordered him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
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