One half of a duo who agreed to meet up for a fight in a country lane has been hit with a £320 fine after his victim’s mum reported them both to the police.
Matthew O’Neill’s victim came off worse and needed hospital treatment and stitches.
The 22-year-old’s defence agent Leonard Burkinshaw said the pair’s “square go” had cleared the air and would have been the end of it – were it not for the concerned mum reporting their brawl.
Fiscal depute Ellen Barr told Banff Sheriff Court that the pair had exchanged various text messages and agreed to meet on the country lane near Turriff.
“They became engaged in a fight that resulted in them rolling around near barbed-wire fencing,” she said.
“The complainer was left with a bloodied face and cuts to his ear but it appears they may have been caused by the barbed wire.
“He also had a laceration to his right eyebrow and attended at hospital where the wound was cleaned and dressed.
“The police were not contacted by the complainer but in fact by his mother. The complainer was not cooperative with the police.
“He did verbally disclose that the accused was responsible but didn’t provide a statement.”
Mr Burkinshaw said that refusal “spoke volumes to it effectively being a square go”.
‘Rolled about knocking lumps out of each other’
He said the complainer had made threats against O’Neill and his mum.
“They both agreed they would sort it out amongst themselves,” Mr Burkinshaw added.
“They met in a rural country lane. There they both rolled about knocking lumps out of each other, colloquially.
“The injuries to both of them came from rolling about in a barbed-wire fence.”
Fight has cleared the air
The solicitor added that his client, a self-employed joiner, and the other man have had “no further contact or animosity since”.
“This seems to have resolved their issues,” he added.
ONeill, of Parnassus Gardens, Fyvie, was not present in court but his solicitor tendered a guilty plea to a charge of assault to serious injury.
Sheriff Joseph Platt agreed to deal with the matter by way of a fine since he deemed it “a fight rather than an unprovoked assault”.
He fined O’Neill £320.
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