An Inverness man who struck a childhood friend twice on the head with a knife in a drunken brawl was jailed for 18 months yesterday.
Barry Lawless, 37, had earlier pleaded guilty at Inverness Sheriff Court after being remanded in custody since early February when he was arrested following the incident at 9 Woodside Place, in the Westhill area of the Highland capital.
The assault took place at the home of his co-accused, Margo Stewart, who had her plea of not guilty to assaulting Kelly Edgar accepted.
Lawless admitted assaulting Paul Lewis to his severe injury but Sheriff Margaret Neilson was told that the victim did not bear any ill feeling towards his assailant.
Fiscal Roderick Urquhart told the court that Mr Lewis’s girlfriend, Ms Edgar, was in the house in Woodside Place at about 9pm when she phoned her boyfriend.
“She said she was in Miss Stewart’s house and ‘I am in trouble. Can you come and get me?’” Mr Urquhart said.
“Paul Lewis arrived at the house and Miss Stewart said to come in. There was a struggle or a fight between Kelly Edgar and Margo Stewart and it was not clear if Lawless was in the room at the time.
“But he arrived in the room and armed himself with a knife. Paul Lewis grabbed the knife and in the process cut the tip of his finger.
“A struggle ensued and he was struck several times on the head with the knife. He suffered two cuts, one of 3cms in length and the other 5cms in length.
“They required to be closed with 14 staples.”
Defence lawyer Willie Young told the court that his client accepted an inevitable jail sentence but pleaded for a restricted sentence as Lawless’s father was very ill.
He added: “This occurred at a drinking party and Mr Lewis had been a childhood friend.
“My client had himself been the victim of a stabbing with life threatening injuries and he knew better than anyone the possible serious consequences of his actions.
“He feared he was going to be beaten up by Mr Lewis and impulsively grabbed the knife which was one of others amongst many items in a chaotic living room.
“He is ashamed of the way he behaved.”
The sentence was backdated to February 9.