A north-east man who left a stranger’s vision permanently impaired after punching him through a glass pizza shop door was fined £1,400 yesterday.
John Fordyce, 39, admitted seriously assaulting Kyle Moir in a late-night confrontation at Pino Pizza in Queen Street, Lossiemouth, on April 6 last year.
Elgin Sheriff Court heard Fordyce lashed out at Mr Moir at around 1.20am in the early hours of a Sunday morning.
Fiscal depute Kevin Corrins told the court the attack happened after Mr Moir arrived at the takeaway to find the door locked and a handful of customers — including Fordyce and his partner — inside.
Mr Corrins said: “There then appears to be some form of exchange between Mr Moir and some people inside.
“The accused approaches the door from the inside and punches the glass of the door.
“Mr Moir is standing directly on the outside when the glass smashes. The glass strikes Mr Moir, causing cuts to his face, which is soon covered in blood.
“The accused suffered cuts to both forearms and his hand.”
Mr Corrins said Fordyce, of Lyndale, Memsie, near Fraserburgh, told police constables at the scene “I did it and it was stupid” before he was arrested.
An ambulance took Mr Moir to Dr Gray’s Hospital, where he was found to have a cut to his right cheek and a laceration to his left cornea which was causing blurred vision.
He later had surgery to repair the wound and reposition the iris and was left with only 70% of the vision he had before.
A consultant said the injuries could lead to glaucoma or cataracts later in life.
Fordyce’s solicitor Stephen Carty told Sheriff Susan Raeburn his client accepted his involvement in the matter, and it was to his “great regret that it led to Mr Moir’s injury”.
He said: “Mr Fordyce was out with his partner. In the course of the evening, there really wasn’t anything untoward. He entered the locus to get some food.
“The complainer was outside, and the doors were locked, so they couldn’t get in.
“It appears the complainer made a gesture or two at the accused.
“Mr Fordyce tries to bang the window at the complainer. He clearly hits it with more force than he intended to because it smashes and the glass hits the complainer in the face.
“We have to accept it has sustained serious injury, but Mr Fordyce clearly had no intention to cause the injury.”