Scotland’s youngest recorded alcoholic who is now a heroin and crack cocaine addict has been jailed for three months.
Lee Dyce was to be assessed for a strict drug treatment and testing order but failed to keep contact with his assessors.
He was arrested on warrant and appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court today to be sentenced afresh.
Sheriff Robert Macdonald told the 34-year-old that he would have imposed a 30-month jail sentence for the serious assault which Dyce had previously admitted.
But because Dyce had spent almost a year on remand – the equivalent of a two year prison sentence – the sheriff restricted the term to just three months.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson told the court his client was Scotland’s youngest registered alcohol at the age of 12 or 13 and had now become addicted to crack cocaine and heroin.
Assault victim suffered fractured jaw
He added that Dyce fell back into the habit on his release from prison.
“He was not able to keep in touch with the drug team as his life was pretty chaotic after his drug addictions re-emerged,” Mr Dickson said.
The court had earlier been told that Dyce’s victim, Bertie Watson, was attacked over an unpaid debt and had to have a metal plate surgically implanted to his fractured jaw to aid recovery
The incident occurred in an alley between Nelson Street and Madras Street in Inverness on July 12 last year.
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood told the court: “Mr Watson was returning home when he was approached by Dyce and another man and challenged about a debt owed to the other man.
“Dyce then punched Mr Watson on the face and knocked him to the ground. The victim fled and reported it to police as did other eye witnesses.
“Mr Watson suffered cuts and bruises, a fractured jaw and damaged teeth.”
Mr Dickson said Dyce thought that Mr Watson was going to assault his friend and punched him once.
“There were other options open to him so self-defence couldn’t be claimed,” he added.
