An Aberdeen teen thug slashed a man in the face in a drug deal gone wrong – cutting him to the bone – then fled from custody when he appeared in court.
The 17-year-old male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, used a large kitchen knife in a “chopping motion”, leaving his victim with a huge cut on his forehead which “extended to the bone”.
He was remanded when he appeared in court over the crime but managed to escape while leaving the building.
He “distracted” social workers who were escorting him to a vehicle and legged it, going on the run from police for more than five hours before being caught at a takeaway.
The teenager was back in the dock yesterday to be sentenced over the matter, and appeared handcuffed to a security guard, with additional staff also brought in to the courtroom to scupper any further escape bids.
Fiscal depute Anna Chisholm previously told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the slashing incident happened on Richmond Street in Aberdeen on February 15.
She said: “A drug deal relating to a small quantity of MDMA had been arranged between a female and the accused. There are differing accounts of which party was selling the MDMA.
“A man and the woman arrived at the locus at around 10.30pm. They had driven in the male’s car.
“The accused and another two males approached the car. The female left the car while the male remained in the driver’s seat.
“The accused sat in the front passenger seat. At first there was no problem between the two, but for some reason the demeanour of the accused changed.
“The woman became aware that the accused was holding a large kitchen knife. He attacked the male, striking him on the forehead with the knife in a chopping motion.
“The woman struggled with the accused to try to pull him away and out of the car. The accused got out of the car and made his way around to the driver’s side where he repeatedly punched and kicked the man on the head and body.
“The accused and the other males then ran off. The other males were not involved in the assault.
“The female called for an ambulance and flagged down a police van shortly after 10.50pm.
“A police officer saw the male seated in his car and bleeding from his head.
“Another officer attended shortly after 11pm and observed blood on the pavement and recovered a knife and handle matching the description provided by the witnesses.”
Ms Chisholm said the teenager’s victim was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and found to have suffered a 7-8cm laceration to his forehead which “extended to the bone”.
He required six prolene sutures and also sustained a soft tissue injury to his wrist.
The injury to his forehead was expected to leave a scar.
Ms Chisholm said the teen appeared in private at Aberdeen Sheriff Court over the matter on February 17 and was remanded in secure accommodation.
She said: “Throughout the day social workers at the court were making arrangements for his transfer to Rossie Secure Unit.
“At about 5.30pm two social workers were escorting the accused to a car outside the court.
“The accused managed to distract them and ran off in the direction of Marischal Street.
“Search was made for the accused over several hours. Constables apprehended the accused at 10.35pm the same day at Qismit takeaway on Hayton Road.”
The teen previously pled guilty to charges of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, possession of an offensive weapon, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by escaping from lawful custody.
Defence agent Kevin Longino said his client was very vulnerable and suffered from a number of “problems”, adding: “He is essentially disabled.
“This offence came at a point when he was using alcohol and drugs following upon the break up of a relationship.”
Mr Longino went on: “Should he receive a custodial sentence the intention is to place him in protection. That causes me a great deal of concern.
“The automatic assumption is that anyone under protection is there because of the type of offence they have committed and is therefore a target for abuse.”
Sheriff William Summers said: “There is no appropriate sentence for the court to impose other than a period of detention.”
He handed the teenager 27 months of detention.
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