A man who headbutted a woman and broke her teeth after a day at Perth Races has avoided a prison sentence.
Martyn Shaw fell out with the woman on the return bus journey, telling friends: “She’s getting it when she’s off the bus.”
The 35-year-old then brutally headbutted the woman to the face, shattering her front teeth, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
His victim, who was described as “badly affected” by the assault, will require around two years of dental treatment.
Shaw spat in victim’s face
Fiscal depute Alan Townsend told the court that a trip to Perth Races had been arranged by the owner of the Fittie Bar in Aberdeen.
It was on the drive back north that things turned sour when a woman challenged Shaw about his behaviour.
He turned to her and stated: “What the f*** has it got to do with you?”
Shaw was then seen to spit in her face.
Following this, the woman and her friends heard Shaw state: “She’s getting it when she’s off the bus”
Mr Townsend said: “Following this altercation, and as a direct result of the accused’s actions and demeanour, the complainer asked the bus driver if she could get off the coach, but he refused to stop to let her off.
“Around 8pm, the coach arrived outside the Fittie Bar and the complainer alighted the bus first, followed by the other passengers.
“She walked over to speak to her friends on the road in front of the bus. Moments later, without any further interaction, the accused approached the complainer and without provocation, he head-butted her once to the mouth.
“The force of the head-butt caused the complainer to fall backwards onto the cobbled street.”
A friend of the woman helped her to her feet and contacted the police when she saw she was bleeding from her mouth.
She was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where she was found to have a broken bone in her wrist.
Shaw’s victim also attended an emergency dentistry clinic where her face was x-rayed and she was discovered to have two broken front teeth, which had shattered near the root.
The woman will require two years of follow-on dental treatment in order to have two permanent teeth fitted.
In the dock, Shaw pleaded guilty to two charges of assault relating to the headbutt and spitting on the woman.
Violent attacker avoids prison
Defence solicitor John McLeod told the court that he believed it was “difficult to overstate” how his client is a “complete mess over this”.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s the effect on others that really bothers him.
“If it was just him, he would be content to face the music and deal with it – but he has a family now.”
Sheriff Christine McCrossan told Shaw she had read the victim impact statement and given this case “a lot of thought”.
“The person you assaulted has been badly affected,” she said.
“But you have also served the equivalent of the 10-month sentence over this.
“I’m prepared to accept that this was not a premeditated assault.”
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff McCrossan handed Shaw, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, a community payback order with supervision for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
She also made Shaw subject to a nine-month restriction of liberty order and ordered him to pay his victim £750 compensation.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
