An oil and gas worker has been jailed after attacking a man at a wedding reception.
A jury found Kristofor Keith, 36, guilty of carrying out the assault on Craig Neill at the Banff Springs Hotel by repeatedly punching him on the head and head-butting him on July 6 2019.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told the blows caused Mr Neill to fall backwards against a windowsill and strike his head.
Keith, an oil and gas IT support technician, was sentenced to more than a year in prison over the assault.
CCTV showed victim head-butting accused and accused head-butting back
Mr Neill cannot remember his trip to the hospital and couldn’t comment on a suggestion from the defence team that he himself had been rude to and swore at the paramedics who treated him.
He admitted to the trial he was “certainly not sober” on the night in question having consumed “about six or seven beers and three or four whiskies”.
He received a clean bill of health at a medical screening in November.
When asked if he became aggressive with alcohol, he replied: “Sometimes yes, like everyone.”
The jury was played CCTV footage showing the altercation at the front of the hotel at around 11.10pm on July 6 2019.
It shows Mr Neill heading outside for a cigarette and Keith following behind with another man.
The men were seen chatting and the victim told the court although he “can’t remember any of the chat outside” he assumed “I was probably trying to calm down whatever was happening”.
The footage then showed other men stepping between the pair and Keith walking away. Around seven minutes later he returns outside and walks around the corner towards where Mr Neill was.
The video then showed Mr Neill head-butting Keith and Keith head-butting him back.
Moments later Keith throws a punch at Mr Neill and the pair disappear round the corner of the building and out of sight of the CCTV.
Mr Neill claimed the injury has impacted his long and short-term memory.
‘He understands how serious the matter was and there are consequences for that’
Defence agent Iain Jane told the court that Keith had felt “regret and remorse” over his actions two years ago.
He added: “He understands how the trial process works and he accepts the verdict.
“He also understands how serious the matter was and he knows there are consequences for that.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Keith, of Duthie Gardens, Peterhead, that a custodial sentence was “appropriate” for his crime.
She added: “There was no premeditation and you did not go out looking to harm Mr Neill.
“There is significant mitigation here and I accept that, but the damage is such that I must impose a prison sentence.”
Sheriff McLaughlin sentenced Keith to 15 months in prison.
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