A Portlethen man has been jailed after carrying out a “vicious and unprovoked” attack that left his victim permanently disfigured.
Ryan Stewart repeatedly punched a man on the head on May 17 last year in the town’s Leathen Arms.
Yesterday, the 27-year-old, of 11 Schoolhill Rise, admitted the assault when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Stewart’s solicitor, Iain McGregor, said some witnesses had reported that the victim and his group of friends appeared to be “intent on finding some sort of trouble that night”.
He added that one onlooker had said the group were “harassing younger patrons” at the time of the incident and said Stewart had initially believed his actions were justified.
Mr McGregor said: “That attitude did change when he had the opportunity of viewing the CCTV footage – he was mortified by his actions and he fully accepts they were over the top.”
The court heard the victim suffered a permanent injury to his lip.
Mr McGregor added that Stewart had experienced difficulties with heroin addiction, though they did not play any part in the incident.
He said his client was tackling his drug problems by attending the Fulton Clinic in Aberdeen, and had been planning to take a course in gardening.
Mr McGregor urged Sheriff William Summers to consider imposing community service rather than a jail sentence.
However, the sheriff said that as Stewart had been convicted of related offences in the past he “had no alternative” but to impose the 12 month sentence.
Sheriff Summers said: “This was a vicious and unprovoked assault that caused a significant and permanent disfiguring injury, committed against the backdrop of similar convictions.”
