An 82-year-old man found himself in the dock after a 30-year family feud over a boiler led to a serious assault at a Highland filling station.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told Ian Bain’s fallout with his brother-in-law over the central heating system has been “simmering over the decades” and came to a head on December 7 of last year.
The pair bumped into each other in Beauly and Bain pushed the other man over, causing him to break a hip.
Bain appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court and admitted a single charge of assault to severe injury.
Fiscal depute David Morton told the court it was “an unfortunate matter” and explained that the victim and accused were “related through marriage”.
Boiler feud had been simmering for decades
He said: “I’m told somewhere around 30 years ago some form of disagreement did occur within the family and developed into a feud which has remained simmering over the decades.”
Mr Morton said it was around 8am on the day in question that Bain’s victim entered the Bridgend Filling Station in Station Road Beauly to buy a newspaper.
Bain was already in the shop and approached his brother-in-law, after which words were exchanged before Bain pushed his victim, causing him to “stumble backwards and fall to the floor”.
The man was injured as a result and was taken to Raigmore Hospital where it was confirmed that he had suffered a broken hip as a result of the incident.
The court heard the incident was captured on the store’s CCTV system.
Solicitor David Patteson, for Bain, told the court that the feud had “started over a boiler”.
He said the CCTV footage of the incident showed that “as he walked past he pushed him with one hand and the gentleman fell over”.
Mr Patterson assured Sheriff David Harvie: “It is unlikely Mr Bain will appear in court again.”
‘No possibility of reconciliation’
He added: “As far as the relationship between these two is concerned there appears to be no possibility of a reconciliation.”
Sheriff Harvie told Bain, of Priory Gardens, Beauly: “It is quite tragic that two men of your age found yourselves in a family feud for such a long period of time over what, on the face of it, seems to be such a trivial matter at the start, and that, 30 years on, that brings you to this court.
“It should really give you both pause for thought.”
He ordered the 82-year-old to pay his victim £500 in compensation.