Footballer hits out at cowardly gang over savage attack
Elgin City player tells of disgust
Published:
Four young men who viciously attacked Elgin City Football Club’s skipper as he walked through the centre of Inverness were branded cowards yesterday.
David Hind, 26, and teammate Craig Campbell, both from Inverness, were jumped as they walked down Stephen’s Brae after a night out.
Both men were knocked to the ground during the attack early on Sunday, August 31, last year.
Mr Hind, who yesterday was quitting Elgin FC, was repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on as he lay in the street, suffering injuries that prevented him from playing for two weeks.
Mr Campbell, 24, was repeatedly punched on the head and, when he was knocked to the ground, repeatedly punched on the head and body, to his injury.
Speaking after the gang appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit the attack yesterday, Mr Campbell said: “I just think that it was disgusting the way they behaved, and it was a very cowardly way to act.”
Daniel Finlay, 19, of 49 Birchwood, Invergordon, Alan Coe, 24, of 28 Charles Street, Inverness, Sean Henny, 19, 109 Culduthel Road, Inverness, and Taran Campbell, 22, of 40 Ferry Brae, North Kessock, all admitted repeatedly striking Mr Hind on the head and pulling him to the ground where he was punched to the head and body, and kicked and stamped on about the body before being sat on, to his injury.
Coe and Campbell admitted assaulting Mr Campbell by repeatedly punching him on the head, causing him to fall to the ground where he was again punched on the head and body to his injury.
Coe alone faces a third charge of assaulting a friend of the footballers, Richard Downer, of Inverness, by striking him on the head.
Rhiannon McLafferty, 18, of Charleston View, Inverness, was also charged with assaulting Mr Hind, but her not guilty plea was accepted by the prosecution.
Mr Hind said after the court hearing: “I just want to forget about it. I was off for a couple of weeks because my foot was injured and I couldn’t kick a ball.”
But Mr Campbell described how a pleasant evening with friends later ended in brutal violence.
He said: “Hindsey had a bag with him and he put it down on the pavement when we crossed the street to speak to friends.
“These people appeared and began kicking the bag down the road.
“I shouted at them to stop kicking the bag, which they did, and they carried on down the road.
“We left our friends and were walking down the hill when these guys came walking back up towards us, and I don’t remember very much after that.
“There were a lot of people there punching and kicking us. They started on me first, and David tried to stop them.
“Someone tripped me up and I fell, but luckily managed to get up quite quickly.
“By this time we were split up and I could see David in trouble.
“I tried to get up the street to help him, but these girls were helping to stop me. It was unbelievable.”
Sheriff Alexander Pollock deferred sentenced for reports until February 10, when he will also hear pleas in mitigation.
Defender Hind played as a youth with Inverness Caley Thistle, and was signed by Third Division side Elgin in March 2001.
He stepped up from vice-captain to captain in January last year, but has now asked for his Elgin contract to be severed.
Midfielder Campbell, a former Ross County youngster, joined Elgin from Forres Mechanics in 2007.
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