A drunken teen celebrating her 19th birthday punched, bit and tried to rob a delivery man after ordering a Chinese takeaway.
Brooklyn Mathieson, 19, tried to snatch the bags of food from the man when he arrived to deliver it – and then viciously assaulted him when he clung on.
The dramatic scene – during which she sunk her teeth into the man – left her victim with a fractured elbow and broken prawn crackers strewn across the floor, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The disturbing attack was not the only crime Mathieson committed while celebrating her birthday – she also dragged a shop worker outside and assaulted him on the street.
Birthday violence
Fiscal depute David Rogers told Aberdeen Sheriff Court both incidents happened on October 17 2023.
Around 7.05pm, Mathieson and her “associates” entered Best One on Victoria Road, where one of the group tried to purchase alcohol.
The shop assistant advised he would not sell them alcohol and requested they all leave.
However, they refused and one of the group punched him in the face and there was a struggle.
During this, Mathieson became involved and pulled the shop assistant to the floor by his hair and dragged him outside onto the street.
There, she and her associates repeatedly kicked him until a passer-by intervened.
The shop assistant managed to get back inside, close the shutter and contact the police.
Fortunately, he was not injured.
Chinese takeaway
Just hours later, at 10.35pm, a male calling himself “Peter” phoned Golden China on Elmbank Terrace and ordered food worth £72 to an address on Glenbervie Road.
At 11.45pm, the delivery driver arrived with the food and Mathieson met him outside, escorting him to the door where the male answered.
When the delivery driver asked for payment, however, Mathieson “immediately grabbed his food delivery bag and began aggressively demanding he give it over”.
Mr Rogers told the court: “A struggle ensued, during which the accused punched the complainer to the head and body around eight times while demanding the food.
“The complainer managed to keep hold of the delivery bags, and as the struggle continued, the accused bit him to the left and right forearms, breaking the skin and causing bleeding.
“At one point, the complainer fell to the ground and landed hard on his left elbow, causing immediate pain.
“As the struggle continued, the complainer heard the male at the door of flat shouting ‘if you don’t give the food to her I’ll let the dog out’.”
Delivery man’s elbow broken in assault
At one point, the delivery man managed to push Mathieson back by the neck, break free and run to the front door.
However, as he fumbled to open it, Mathieson ran after him and punched him a further four times to the head, leaving him dizzy and with blurred vision.
But the man did eventually manage to escape and captured an image of Mathieson at the flat window to show the police.
When police arrived, they found the property in darkness with a carrier bag and broken prawn crackers strewn across the floor.
The delivery driver was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was found to have fractured his elbow.
He was also given a course of antibiotics to mitigate the risk of infection from the bites, which would need regular health checks “for the foreseeable future”.
Mathieson was later traced and arrested and stated she had no money to pay for the order and “always intended on robbing whatever driver appeared”.
Mr Rogers told the court: “She advised she bit the complainer three times when he pinned her to the wall by the neck following her initial attempt to relieve him of the food he had brought, and that she punched him twice to the head after he let go and tried to escape.
“She was seen to have scratches to her neck.”
‘Being under the influence of alcohol is no excuse’
Mathieson, of Stockethill Crescent, Aberdeen, pled guilty to assaulting the shop assistant and assaulting and attempting to rob the delivery driver to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Defence agent Paul Barnett said: “The offences occurred the day after her 19th birthday.
“Ms Mathieson explains in the report that the offences occurred while she was heavily under the influence of alcohol, having been consuming alcohol celebrating her birthday.
“She understands that being under the influence of alcohol is no excuse at all for her behaviour.”
Mr Barnett said the “permanent disfigurement” part of the charge related to bite marks on the delivery driver’s forearms, but highlighted that these had “faded considerably”.
He said Mathieson was “genuinely remorseful” and had not been in a good place mentally at the time.
He added that her outlook on like has now “drastically changed in a positive way” and she is engaging with support.
‘You’re going to have to grow up’
Sheriff Philip Mann told the teen: “You’re going to have to grow up. You can’t go on like this.
“I know the pressures young people have and there’s a tendency to drink to excess but it’s not a good thing to do.
“It will impress people you associate with, but if it impresses them they’re not really your friends because they’re not really looking out for your welfare.
“If you continue to offend in this way, next time round you can expect a custodial sentence.”
As a direct alternative to custody, he ordered Mathieson to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and imposed a six-month curfew.
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