A man who attacked his antisocial neighbour with an axe after the pair got into an argument has avoided a prison sentence.
Ryan Wilson, 27, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted fracturing the man’s skull with an axe.
Wilson’s solicitor told the court his client was 22 at the time and was being subjected to “daily” antisocial behaviour by his victim.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told the court that at around 9pm on December 2 2019, Wilson’s neighbour was seen by him returning to the building on Stoneyton Terrace with a friend.
Prior to this night, the man had been causing issues to other residents while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Ms Martin stated that he had been seen shouting, swearing, banging on neighbours’ doors and making threats towards female residents who have young children.
As the man approached on December 9, Wilson asked to speak with him in private.
The man stated “look, I’m not going to fight with you” as he followed Wilson out to the communal door.
Once outside Wilson punched the man to the face without warning, causing his glasses to become dislodged from his face.
In desperation, the man pulled a needleless syringe from his pocket and threatened Wilson by stating: “Aye, do you want Aids?’
Wilson then produced an axe and repeatedly struck the man on the back of the head.
An ambulance took Wilson’s victim to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was found to have suffered two lacerations to his head and a fine skull fracture.
In the dock, Wilson pleaded guilty to one charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
‘Very serious risk of prison’
His defence solicitor, Andrew Ormiston, told the court that “the complainer had been causing issues with his frightening behaviour”.
He added: “That’s not to suggest that this is justification, but it’s the background to the altercation.
“It was hoped that simply remonstrating with him would be sufficient.
“There was no plan for it to escalate into violence, but it became heated.
“He accepts full responsibility for his behaviour and is extremely remorseful that things escalated in the way they did.
“Mr Wilson knows he’s sailing perilously close to a custodial sentence.
“He was living in a block of flats where he was subjected to antisocial behavior on a daily basis.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Wilson that he “should understand that if you commit an offence of this kind, you’re putting yourself at very serious risk of receiving a prison sentence”.
However, the sheriff added that he had taken into account the fact that there was a background of behaviour from the complainer that “perhaps reduces the seriousness of what you did”.
“I sense that you have probably now matured significantly since this time when you were getting into trouble on a regular basis,” he told Wilson.
“You have shown that you are genuinely contrite and ashamed and I can see you are upset by the whole experience.”
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Buchanan made Wilson, of Abbotswell Crescent, Aberdeen, subject to a community payback order with supervision for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.
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