A Skye homeowner who claims he was given a black eye by tourists outside his home says he has been left with “no faith” in police after the altercation.
Mikey Mahon has criticised the handling of the incident, which resulted in him and the visitors receiving a warning from officers.
The 60-year-old lives near the tourist hotspot of Dunvegan on Skye.
His wife runs a silk-weaving studio out of their home, which nearby has a small car park for customers.
Last week a group of seven tourists visited the studio and, on arrival, their silver vehicle knocked into a wall, causing damage to a concrete post.
Wall crash caught on camera
The incident was caught on a motion detection camera, which first alerted Mr Mahon.
When the group entered the studio, no one mentioned the damage, so he went out to check for himself.
According to him, he went out to view the damage and to take down the driver’s details just in case, however, things turned “sour”.
He told The P&J: “The driver initially ignored me, and a woman said we didn’t hit anything, so I said I have it on video and I watched her get out and inspect it as well on video. The driver kept walking away and wouldn’t give me any details.
“After a while, I held the phone up and told him I have it all on video and if they leave I have no choice but to notify the police and get details that way.
“Then it all started and the woman grabbed me from behind and tore my shirt.
“I turned and pushed her away telling her to get off me and at the moment the driver punched me in my left eye.
Mr Mahon says he has ‘no faith in the police’ following the altercation
“The group then grabbed him and held him back as I stepped back and immediately called the police. I never threw a punch at anyone.”
He was left with a black eye and broken glasses while his clothing was also torn.
Mr Mahon is semi-retired and says he was “intimidated” given it was two men and five females against just him.
Mr Mahon proceeded to call the police twice, one for the initial assault and a second following a barrage of verbal abuse from the group.
Two officers arrived 50 minutes after the incident occurred and issued a warning to the driver who had punched Mr Mahon.
They also gave a warning to Mr Mahon himself, despite him claiming to have not hit anyone.
Police gave Skye man reason for warning
He claims police said having his phone up to the driver, saying he had video evidence of the collision, was enough to issue a warning.
He said: “After the police arrived, instead of feeling assured, I felt belittled.
“An inconvenience to them because I wanted charges to be pressed.”
Feeling “let down” by the police response, Mr Mahon believes he did everything right at the moment.
“It’s a total joke,” he said.
“I’ve no faith in the police and I will never help or operate with them at any time in the future.
“Nor will I waste time calling them.”
Mr Mahon says the matter is settled, but he decided to share his story with The P&J and on social media to warn others of possible future incidents.
A police spokesperson said: “Two men were given police recorded warnings after an assault at Dunvegan, Isle of Skye on Thursday, September 19.”
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