A man has been ordered to pay his victim compensation after elbowing him in the face and then taking a run-up to knock him out with a punch.
Andrew Moule was having a seemingly amicable conversation with the man in Spirit Level pub on Exchange Street in Aberdeen before he suddenly lashed out.
After stunning his victim with an elbow to the face, the 47-year-old took a short run up and punched him, knocking him back into a pillar and then to the floor unconscious.
Fiscal depute Rebecca Coakley told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened earlier this year on January 27.
She said the two men were talking to each other in the bar and, according to witnesses, did not appear to be having an argument.
‘Significant degree of both remorse and regret’
Ms Coakley continued: “Quite suddenly, the accused elbowed the complainer once to the face, knocking him over.
“He fell onto a table behind him.
“The complainer got back to his feet.
“The accused took a short run-up and punched him to the face, causing the back of his head to strike a pillar behind him before he collapsed to the floor appearing unconscious.”
Moule was asked to leave the bar and did so while witnesses provided his victim with first aid.
‘Lucky there weren’t worse injuries’
His victim suffered a three-inch cut to the back of his head which “bled considerably” and had to be closed with stitches at hospital.
Moule, of Sheddocksley Drive, Aberdeen, pled guilty to a charge of assault to injury.
Defence agent Debbie Ginniver said her client provided social workers with a “full explanation” and that their report was in “positive terms”.
She continued: “He showed a significant degree of both remorse and regret.
“He understand the ramifications of his actions could have been much more significant.
“He’s lucky there weren’t worse injuries to the complainer.
“The offence took place while he was experiencing a particularly stressful period.”
Sheriff Rory Bannerman highlighted Moule had two similar violent convictions from 2006 and said he’d have hoped he would have learned his lesson.
He added: “Clearly you haven’t.”
Describing the offence as “sustained, deliberate and repeated”, Sheriff Bannerman ordered Moule to pay his victim £600 in compensation.
He also imposed 12 months’ supervision and 90 hours of unpaid work.
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