A machete-wielding yob stabbed a male in the back during a frenzied knife fight in a row over the sale of a puppy.
Noah Assurreira grabbed a machete and rushed to confront his victim on Hayton Road in Aberdeen, after spotting him walking the puppy he claimed he hadn’t been paid for.
But the man whipped out his own knife and the two swung their blades at each other wildly, narrowly missing a family of four as they walked past.
And Assurreira, 21, got the better of his foe as he plunged the frightening weapon into his back, leaving a six-inch deep wound.
Fiscal depute David Rogers told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident happened on December 19 2022.
‘I am going to take your life from you’
He said the complainer was walking the dog on Hayton Road at 1pm on his way to visit a friend nearby.
However, a vehicle approached and stopped beside him with Assurreira leaving the passenger seat.
Mr Rogers said Assurreira called the man “James” during this interaction and that he informed him he had the wrong person.
An “altercation” ensued, resulting in the complainer kicking and punching Assurreira before running away.
The complainer then returned home, but a short time later, he returned to Hayton Road to visit his friend as intended – noting the car that had approached him was no longer there.
However, as he walked along the road again, he spotted Assurreira once more.
Mr Rogers said: “The accused crossed the road and approached the complainer.
“The accused repeatedly threatened the complainer, including by stating, ‘I am going to take your life from you’.
Puncture wound was ‘4cm long and 6 inches deep’
“The accused was holding what appeared to be a beer bottle. He struck the complainer on the head with this, causing the complainer to stumble backwards.
“The accused pulled a large machete-style knife out of the back of his waistband. He repeatedly attempted to strike the complainer with the machete.”
The male backed away to avoid being struck and pulled out his own blade, described as a “small knife”.
Both men struggled together before Assurreira struck the left side of his victim’s upper back.
Mr Rogers added: “This occurred in very close proximity to two adults and two young children who were walking on the pavement.”
Assurreira’s victim managed to run away and was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where he was found to have a puncture wound to his back described as “4cm long and 6 inches deep”.
He also had a fracture to one of his vertebrae and a spinal muscle injury as a result of the puncture, which was closed with four staples.
Assurreira, of Armidale Place, Bristol, pled guilty to assault to severe injury and danger of life.
Offender’s lawyer blames ‘negative influences’
Defence agent Andrew Ormiston said: “It seems the knife entered the complainer’s back but made no contact with life-sustaining organs.
“It’s good fortune there were no life-threatening injuries, but there was a risk of life-threatening injuries, hence the plea to danger of life.”
The solicitor went on: “From the social work report, there was a dispute about the ownership of the animal, or the remuneration.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin interjected: “He provided the puppy and didn’t get any money for it?”
Mr Ormiston confirmed that was the scenario.
Addressing the issue of possible mistaken identity, Mr Ormiston said: “The complainer’s position is, he doesn’t know who this was. But he has this puppy.”
He continued, stating the machete had not belonged to Assurreira, but that he had grabbed it from the footwell of the vehicle in which he was a passenger, as he was aware of his victim’s “reputation” for carrying weapons.
Mr Ormiston said Assurreira had been isolated in Aberdeen at the time of the offence and had been “taken under the wing” of associates who were “negative influences”.
The lawyer explained: “He has moved away and no longer associates with these negative peers. He’s about to start his own family.”
‘The complainer is not blameless … an offence like this would almost always result in a custodial sentence’
Mr Ormiston added that his client was remorseful that his victim was so seriously hurt, describing the incident as a “joust”.
“I’m not making anything of the fact the complainer was wearing a balaclava,” he told the court.
Addressing Assurreira directly, Sheriff McLaughlin said: “Carrying weapons is just such a stupid thing to do because anything can happen.
“It could have been catastrophically worse than this and an offence like this would almost certainly almost always result in a custodial sentence.
“I think what your solicitor has done for you today is to really put this into context – in terms of the culpability and the circumstances you found yourself in.
“I’m just persuaded I can deal with this in the community.
“While it does not take away from your culpability, the complainer in this case is not entirely blameless and also had a weapon.
“Because of your youth and the strong possibility for you to be rehabilitated, and applying the guidelines the Scottish Sentencing Council has laid down, I take the unusual step for an offence of this nature of imposing a community sentence.”
Sheriff McLaughlin ordered Assurreira to complete the maximum 300 hours of unpaid work.
She also imposed three years of supervision and a requirement to comply with any rehabilitation work supervisors think appropriate.
The sheriff warned: “If that is breached in any way, you can be absolutely certain you will go to prison for this.”
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