A man has been jailed for three years after his threats to carve-up a long-time friend with a machete saw his terrified victim leap from an upper floor window, causing severe injuries.
Darren Nelson’s victim, Martin Clark, was left with horrendous wounds to his calf and shin after he plunged to the Aberdeen concrete below.
The incident, on October 27 last year, was the culmination of months of abusive behaviour suffered by Mr Clark and another man, Lawrence Masson.
They had allowed Nelson to share their home in Don Street after he was thrown out by his family, only for the 42-year-old to repay them with threats and violence.
Nelson admitted tormenting the men for months on end when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
He pled guilty to four charges – the first that he repeatedly punched and kicked Mr Masson on the body to his injury between August 1 and 31.
Fiscal depute Sally McAuley said that the victim did not initially report the incident to the police as he was “terrified” of how Nelson may respond.
She told the court that on another occasion the following month he threatened the same man with violence, demanding he handed over his bank cards.
Afterwards he told his victim he would “carve him up” if he did not also provide the associated PINs.
And in October, he repeatedly attempted to strike Mr Masson on the body with a knife and punched him on the head and body to his injury.
Matters finally came to a head on October 27 last year when police visited Nelson at home after receiving a noise complaint.
He made haste to the loft to avoid them but, the court heard, became enraged when he overheard one of his housemates speaking to officers about him.
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At this stage, Ms McAuley told the court Nelson shouted “snitches get stitches” and “There’s no escape. I will end you and get my machete to do a proper job”.
The rampaging Nelson chased Mr Clark through the house and into a bedroom, raining blows at his friend’s head, whereby he made the decision to leap out from a window to escape.
A subsequent search of the property revealed he did have a machete in the property at the time of the incident.
Ms McAuley said Mr Clark had landed on concrete after his leap and was taken by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for emergency treatment.
One of his legs had to be put in plaster because of the severity of the injuries to his calf and shin and the court heard that the man may develop arthritis as a result of the incident.
Nelson admitted assaulting Mr Clark on October 27, repeatedly punching him in the head and uttering threats of violence, whereby he jumped from a window to his severe injury and permanent impairment.
Defence agent Gail Goodfellow attributed Nelson’s behaviour to a long-standing drinking problem and said that he was regretful about his actions.
Ms Goodfellow added that Nelson was “sad to lose the 20-year friendship he had with the victims”.
Sheriff Morag McLaughin, after taking an extra day to consider her verdict, decided that custody was “the only option” to punish Nelson for the crime and handed down a three-year prison sentence.
