An oil worker has narrowly avoided being locked up after he threw a punch which left a young man with horrific injuries.
Gavin Donald punched Lee Marwick after their groups of friends became involved in a row following a night out in Aberdeen.
Mr Marwick was hospitalised for two nights with broken bones and a blood clot, and had to have an operation as a result of the assault on September 14 last year.
Yesterday 19-year-old Donald appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced having previously admitted the offence.
Defence agent Lynne Freeland said her client had shown genuine remorse for his actions and that he was struggling to come to terms with the seriousness of injuries he had inflicted on someone else.
Ms Freeland said neither of the men had known each other before the assault and claimed her client initially tried to break up the confrontation before getting involved himself.
She told the court that he would like to publicly apologise for his behaviour that night.
The court heard Donald had been terrified about his court appearance as he was desperate not to be given a custodial sentence.
Ms Freeland said that Donald had a good job in an oil services company and has worked full time since leaving school at 15.
She handed Sheriff Annella Cowan a series of references written by Donald’s employers and said he had a promising career ahead of him which he would lose if he was sent to detention.
Sheriff Cowan told Donald, of 37 Harehill Road, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen that he had to carry out 100 hours of community service and ordered that he pay his victim £2,000 in compensation.
She also placed him under supervision for a year.
The sheriff warned Donald, however, that if he failed to comply with any part of the punishment she would send him to a young offender’s institution for nine months.