An architect overseeing construction of hundreds of new Aberdeen council homes chased a child with a meat cleaver and left a woman severely injured after a violent attack.
Colin Doig is awaiting sentencing after he admitted carrying out the wine-fuelled rampage at a Dundee address in 2022.
The woman suffered a serious ankle injury at the hands of Aberdeen City Council’s New Housing Manager. She required eight pins and a plate to be inserted.
The child – in their early teens, too young to be identified publicly – later told police he was in fear for his life while being chased by the 56-year-old.
Doig is understood to be overseeing house building in Bridge of Don for Aberdeen City Council, where hundreds of homes are being constructed.
As a senior architect with the local authority, he was forced to defend the standard of work during Aberdeen’s £3.8 million revamp of Provost Skene’s House.
The Press and Journal understands he was working from Marischal College on Wednesday, as his crime was splashed on the front page of The Courier.
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman told us: “We don’t comment on individual staffing matters.”
Aberdeen City Council manager’s meat cleaver pursuit
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Doig had “drunk most” of three bottles of wine he and the woman had shared on the night.
At around 9.30pm, the woman went to sleep and left Doig to carry on drinking.
However, he turned his attention to the child and an argument reached boiling point.
Prosecutor Joanne Ritchie said: “The accused picked up a meat cleaver from the knife block on the kitchen counter and started chasing (the complainer) around the kitchen island with the meat cleaver in his possession.
“The child was in fear of what the accused might do and locked himself in the upstairs bathroom.
“The accused placed the knife down and pursued him up the stairs.
“The (woman) was awoken by the noise and exited into the hallway.”
Doig repeatedly punched and kicked the door while shouting and swearing.
The court heard he banged the door so hard it cracked and caused his own hand to bleed.
Police called after assault
The woman tried to pull Doig away but he pushed her on the chest, causing her to fall backwards.
Ms Ritchie added: “(The woman) got back up and as soon as she was on her feet, he pushed her over again, this time causing her to injure her ankle, which caused her significant pain.
“This was overheard by the child who was against the door and could hear the woman falling and screaming.
“The accused headed to the bathroom. At this point, the child opened the door.
“The woman contacted the police as she was frightened by the accused’s actions and what he might do.”
Doig waited outside the address for police, who found him visibly under the influence of alcohol.
After being arrested, Doig, a former president of Dundee’s Institute of Architects, said: “It was self-defence.”
Ankle surgery
The woman declined to be seen by paramedics and said she would attend at Ninewells Hospital in the morning.
Eight pins and a plate were put into her ankle during surgery.
She was off work for several weeks but had made a full recovery by March 2024.
Aberdeen council architect Doig, of Broughty Ferry, pled guilty to acting aggressively by pursuing the child with a meat cleaver, repeatedly punching and kicking a door and shouting and screaming on November 20 2022.
He also admitted repeatedly pushing a woman on the body, causing her to fall to the floor and suffer severe injury.
Sheriff Paul Brown deferred sentence for a social work report to be prepared.
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