A man who faked amnesia in a bid to split up from his girlfriend before launching an attack on her and racially abusing hotel staff has been placed under supervision.
Josh Newlands appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to attacking Levi Brown and hurling racist abuse at staff while the pair spent the night at Aberdeen Altens Hotel on Saturday, December 16.
The court had heard at the last hearing that Newlands, of Lochinch Grove, Aberdeen, had woken up in the morning and pretended to his “on-off” girlfriend that he could not remember the previous two years of his life.
After she spent several hours trying to calm him down, he admitted he was joking and she became upset, which prompted him to punch her in the stomach before he seized her by the neck and held her against a wall.
When hotel employee Kamela Grabowska tried to intervene, Newlands used racist language towards her.
He subsequently lunged at Miss Brown’s mother, Kelly Gray, and tried to strike her after she came to pick her daughter up.
Addressing the court yesterday, defence agent Gail Goodfellow said the pair were in a “volatile” relationship which was not supported by either’s parents.
She added that, as a result of his actions, Newlands had been sacked from his job as an apprentice welder, with just one year to go until he was fully qualified.
The court heard Newlands had been taking drugs on the night as well as alcohol which had an “adverse” effect on him.
The solicitor said that Ms Gray had been angry at what had happened and had also behaved in an aggressive manner when she arrived at the hotel.
Mrs Goodfellow urged the court to take into account that the 19-year-old had no previous convictions.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan placed Newlands under supervision for 12 months.
He said: “I take into account the fact that you have no previous convictions, but this was quite bizarre behaviour from what I was told on the last occasion, and then it becomes apparent there was a drugs background.”
Sheriff Buchanan also ordered him to carry out 120 hours unpaid work within six months.
