An Easter Ross man accused of slashing his brother on the leg gave a number of different explanations for the incident which left his sibling needing surgery on his five inch wound, a court has heard.
A jury at Inverness Sheriff Court was told that 48-year-old Andrew Ross of Rannoch Place, Balintore, at first denied any knowledge in an hour-long police interview of how Rowan Ross, 44, was injured below his knee on April 9 last year.
But when he was charged by detectives with the assault in a flat in Tain’s St Andrew’s Road, Ross replied: “My brother attacked me in his house. I thought I was going to be badly assaulted. The knife was sitting on the table, I picked it up and slashed him on the leg. I was defending himself.”
However when Ross gave evidence, he claimed that Rowan had grabbed the knife and held it against his throat, there was a scuffle and his brother was injured.
“I didn’t strike him on purpose.” Ross told the court yesterday.
He explained that his solicitor had instructed him to say no comment, although he wanted to give police a full explanation.
He said he was “shell-shocked and traumatised” by what had happened and couldn’t remember some of the things he said to police.
Ross denies assaulting Rowan to his severe injury, permanent impairment and permanent disfigurement in his flat at St Andrew’s Road, Tain.
He has lodged a special defence of self defence, claiming he was attacked and threatened by Rowan before the slashing.
Fiscal depute Ross Carvel dropped a second charge that Ross attempted to pervert the course of justice by phoning his brother shortly after running out of the flat and threatening him with violence if he contacted the police.
Earlier the court heard that Ross had been filmed on CCTV in Tain High Street talking to a friend and making two slashing movements low down towards his pal’s lower leg.
He was taken into custody shortly afterwards and asked police if the cut on his brother’s leg was deep.
The trial continues.