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Trial hears of cigarette ash row before brother suffered knife wound in leg

Brothers, Andrew Ross (L) and Rowan Ross (R)
Brothers, Andrew Ross (L) and Rowan Ross (R)

A Balintore man slashed his brother’s leg with a Stanley knife in a row over cigarette ash on the floor and threatened to cut his sibling’s throat, a court has been told.

Rowan Ross, of Tain, told a jury that he looked into brother Andrew’s eyes and thought “this is really going to happen” before the five inch cut on his leg was inflicted.

He added: “I felt powerless. He just looked at my leg and sliced it open. I remember gasping in disbelief. The blood was coming out big time.

“The wound was like an open mouth. I couldn’t believe the amount of blood,” 44-year-old Mr Ross told Inverness Sheriff Court.


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His 48-year-old brother, of Rannoch Place, Balintore, denies assaulting Rowan to his severe injury, permanent impairment and permanent disfigurement in his flat at St Andrew’s Road, on April 9 last year.

He has lodged a special defence of self defence, claiming he was attacked and threatened by Rowan before the slashing.

Andrew Ross has also pleaded not guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice by phoning his brother shortly after running out of the flat and threatening him with violence if he contacted the police.

In evidence, Rowan told fiscal depute Ross Carvel that he had been flicking ash on to the floor before a carpet that his brother had bought was to be laid by the two of them.

He went on: “Andrew was in a bad mood and it annoyed him. He told me to stop doing it and I said ‘no’. He said he would contact housing and get me chucked out.

“I said I was not having people coming round and laying down the law. Then he exploded in anger. He phoned me after I called an ambulance and told me if I involved the police, he would come back and finish my throat.”

Inverness Sheriff Court

Cross-examined by defence solicitor Adam Black, Mr Ross accepted he had an estranged relationship with his brother. But he denied there had been an argument or a struggle between them.

He also said it was untrue that he had first picked up the knife and threatened his brother.

Andrew Ross’s friend, 36-year-old Lee Horne, told the court he saw his pal soon after and he seemed “upset and stressed out.”

Mr Horne added: “He told me there had been an altercation with his brother, they wrestled and Rowan was cut on the leg.

“He didn’t say who had the knife first. He was worried about getting arrested.”

The trial, which is expected to last three days, continues.