A man who beat his friend unconscious with a bar stool and left him bleeding on the ground has been jailed.
Michael Davidson was drunk when he got into a bar fight with the man at the Commercial Hotel in Keith.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told a “red mist descended” when Davidson was bitten by his victim and he launched the brutal attack.
Davidson, 32, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court having previously admitted assault to severe injury and danger to life.
An earlier hearing heard how Davidson and his victim were in “good spirits” when they met at the pub on April 23 last year.
Fiscal depute Susan Love told the court that at around 8.15pm the two began shouting at each other, although it was initially thought to be in good humour.
However, they then began pushing and shoving each other, before wrestling on the floor.
‘Stop biting me’
The barmaid stepped in to try to separate the pair and Davidson was heard telling his friend: “Stop biting me.”
“The accused has then picked up a bar stool and repeatedly struck the complainer with it several times. The complainer was left motionless on the floor after,” Ms Love said.
The attack was captured on CCTV and footage of the incident was played to the court before sentencing.
It showed Davidson landing a number of blows with an upturned bar stool before walking away from his motionless victim.
An ambulance was called and the injured man was taken to Dr Grays Hospital. He suffered cuts and bruises, including a seven-centimetre wound to his head that required seven staples to close.
Defence solicitor Brent Lockie drew Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald’s attention to the fact that footage showed the victim leaving the bar area at one point, before returning and approaching Davidson again.
He told the court his client had been bitten on the body and the finger during the brawl.
He said Davidson had been drunk and remembered little of the incident.
‘The red mist descended’
“He does remember that excruciating pain and then the red mist descended,” Mr Lockie said.
He added that the pair had been friends prior to the incident and had never had the opportunity to make up afterwards as the victim sadly passed away following a car crash.
He added: “It is unacceptable behaviour, Mr Davidson accepts that.”
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told Davidson: “This was a vicious assault to the danger of the life of the complainer, he was rendered unconscious when you were hitting him with the bar stool but you continued to hit him.”
Noting his previous convictions for violence, she sentenced Davidson, of Land Street, Keith, to 22 months imprisonment, backdated to February 28.