An early-morning fallout in Aberdeen resulted in a man throwing a car jack at his victim’s head, a court has heard.
Sean Hanratty flung the heavy metal jack just minutes after he’d repeatedly punched his victim as he lay on the ground in a newsagent, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
The 27-year-old assaulted the man in The Neuk convenience store on Clarke Road around 7.30am on May 15 last year.
Fiscal depute Tom Procter said there had been “some form of disagreement” between the two men in the months before the attack.
Hanratty approached his victim and declared: “You have a face I would like to punch”.
“The complainer laughed this off at the time,” Mr Procter said. “He went on to say he had just had a child and was not interested in fighting.
“Without warning the accused then struck him to the right side of his head. He fell to the floor where he was further punched to his head and body for around 30 seconds before the accused left.”
Hanratty’s victim then called his mum to pick him up but the assault was not at an end.
As the victim and his mum drove away from the scene another vehicle blocked their path, causing them to stop.
Hanratty got out of the other car, walked towards the complainer’s mother’s car and punched the passenger window, which smashed.
As they tried to drive away Hanratty grabbed the jack from his car and flung it through another window, causing it to smash and slightly strike the head of his victim.
There were no injuries as a result, the court was told.
Hanratty admitted two charges of assault and one of malicious mischief.
Now has life back on track
Defence agent Tony Burgess said there’d been an ongoing argument between the pair and Hanratty had “lost control of his emotions” after coming across the man, who was known to him from a previous “traumatic period”.
The solicitor added that Hanratty’s victim had appeared before him as he waited for a friend prior to the second incident.
“He accepts there was an argument between the two and he smashed the window as narrated,” he said.
“He now has his life back on track and his main interest now lies with his family.”
Hanratty, of Cardens Knowe, Aberdeen, was handed 200 hours of unpaid work.
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