An Aberdeen thug has been jailed after he lay in wait for his old school bully, then battered and abducted him.
Henry Derrett, along with another unidentified male, struck as their victim left a friend’s flat in Aulton Court.
Derrett, 28, repeatedly struck the man with a stick and pushed him down stairs while his pal filmed the shocking assault on his phone.
And once outside Derrett forced his victim into a car and said he was going to take him to a police station over a previous incident in which Derrett claimed to have been assaulted.
Fiscal depute Anna Chisholm told Aberdeen Sheriff Court: “Around 9pm on July 11 2019 the complainer went to Aulton Court to visit a friend on the 12th floor.
“An hour later the complainer left the flat and was immediately struck, causing him to stumble.
“Once he regained his balance he observed the accused and a further unidentified male on the landing with him and that the accused was in possession of a wooden baseball bat.
“The accused repeatedly struck the complainer with the bat on the head and body causing the complainer to fall to the floor in the landing.
“The accused repeatedly kicked him on the body.
“The complainer could not identify the other male taking part in the assault but remembered he was recording the incident on his mobile phone.
“The complainer was dragged to the communal stairwell. He was pushed and kicked down the stairs by the accused.
“He was forcibly removed from the building by the accused and taken to the accused’s car nearby.
“Neighbours witnessed the incident. This included the accused striking the complainer with the bat while he was on the ground.
“Shouting was heard including ‘you shouldn’t have done that’ and ‘I’m taking you to a police station’.
“The accused took hold of the complainer’s legs and tried to drag him along a path.
“The complainer said he would walk himself before getting up and walking across grass opposite Aulton Court.
“The accused struck him several more times with the bat.”
Ms Chisholm said a bystander then contacted police.
She said: “The accused then forced the complainer into the front passenger seat of his car.
“The accused drove off but stopped shortly after to ask a bystander where the nearest police station was.
“The accused said the complainer had ‘bonneted’ him.”
However, instead of going to a police station Derrett drove the man to his girlfriend’s house where they “cleaned up his injuries”.
At 11.30pm the man left the address and went to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he was found to have lacerations, swelling and bruising to his face, where scars also remain visible. He also had bruising to his body.
Derrett turned himself in at Kittybrewster police station on July 14 around 9.45pm.
Derrett previously pled guilty to assault to injury and permanent disfigurement, possession of a baseball bat or similar implement, and abduction.
Defence lawyer Alex Burn said: “There is an explanation in the social work report indicating there had been some ill will between the parties for some time.
“Through Facebook, he had arranged to meet the complainer. When he approached the complainer’s car the complainer drove at him.
“As a consequence, he was on the bonnet and the complainer drove off.
“The complainer had bullied him for a period of time when they were at school.”
Mr Burn said on July 11 Derrett had spotted the man at the high rise.
He said: “He sees him outside Aulton Court and waits until the complainer exits from the property he was in.
“At that stage, he conducts himself in the manner libelled.
“The bat is a stick which he had. He fully accepts he struck the complainer with the stick.
“He tells me it was a consequence of the anger he was feeling in relation to what happened previously.
“He fully accepts this was unacceptable and he should have gone to the police.
“He took him back to his property where his partner has then cleaned him up and thereafter the complainer asks to share a joint with him and effectively he thought that was the end of the situation.
“He became aware that the police were looking for him and surrendered himself. He goes to Kittybrewster police station of his own volition.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Derrett: “This, of course, is a very serious matter because, although there was this background, you were certainly not entitled to take the law into your own hands in this way.
“This was a nasty assault. You lay in wait for your victim and then proceeded to beat him up and then abduct him and, of course, there was a weapon involved.
“I take the view the matter is one of such seriousness that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
He ordered Derrett, of Seaton Road, Aberdeen, to be jailed for 14 months.
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