A Lochaber crofter who attacked and seriously injured an 83-year-old woman because she was going to help his mother take down curtains has been jailed for 15 months.
Colin Campbell’s vicious assault left his elderly victim with a broken arm and nose and knocked out two of her front teeth.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that there was an undercurrent of bad feeling between the pair and the 50-year-old just “snapped”.
At a previous hearing, fiscal depute Martina Eastwood said that Campbell shouted at his victim: “Don’t be interfering with anything in this house.”
The woman pleaded with Campbell’s 93-year-old parent to phone the police and when the officers arrived, Campbell confessed what he had done.
Campbell supported his mother and provided maintenance, transport and shopping for her, but took umbrage to her neighbour’s offer of help.
The court heard that Mrs Campbell had wanted to remove the curtains and her neighbour offered to help.
‘He is ashamed of his actions’
Campbell, of Cuilcheanna, Onich, told her not to do it though, and when the woman continued with her task, she was attacked, Ms Eastwood said.
Defence solicitor Stephen Kennedy said his client felt that the woman was “taking over” responsibility for looking after his mother without being asked.
He said: “There was an undercurrent between them but that is no excuse.
“Each event was trivial but the combination of them led to him losing control. He couldn’t tolerate it any longer and he snapped.
“He accepts she was well-meaning and immediately phoned the police and ambulance to get her assistance. He is ashamed of his actions.”
Despite Campbell’s role in looking after his mother, his croft with 14 cattle and a full-time job, Sheriff Sara Matheson told him there was no alternative to custody.
She said: “In light of the age of the complainer, the level of violence in that you punched and kicked her on the ground, and the injuries she sustained – a loss of teeth, a broken nose and arm and the lasting impact on her, no other sentence is appropriate.”
