A man has been jailed over assaulting and robbing a stranger as he walked home from a night out – because he thought he was a drug courier.
Steven Ross ran up behind the man and punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the floor, stole his wallet and ran off.
His victim was left with a broken leg and tooth following the terrifying attack on the Spital on November 7 as he made his way home from following a night out.
Ross, 46, then used the man’s bank card at a news agent after assaulting and robbing him.
Ross previously pled guilty to assault to severe injury and robbery, as well as fraud, and a separate charge of possession of a Stanley knife at Greig Court.
And now he has appeared back in court to be sentenced over the matter, with the court hearing the incident happened because he’d meant to rob a man coming to sell him drugs.
‘Long history of substance misuse’
Defence agent Gail Goodfellow told the court her client has a “long history of substance misuse” and mental health difficulties.
She said in the lead up to the offences Ross had been the victim of an assault and suffered a head injury which “pushed him over the edge”.
Mrs Goodfellow said: “He had arranged to meet a drug courier or drug runner, having agreed to pay for a quantity of drugs.
“That was a false pretence because he had no money.
“He anticipated the courier would meet him with the drugs.
“He accepts when he approached the complainer it was his intention to rob him of drugs, but that was under the mistaken belief the complainer was a drug runner, which he was not.
“He has expressed remorse for his involvement. He was shocked to learn of the complainer’s injuries.”
Sheriff William Summers jailed Ross, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, for 33 months.
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