A 29-year-old Latvian who knocked an Inverness man unconscious and broke his jaw with a single punch was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday.
Arnolds Susters, who has now moved from Inverness to 3 Baronald Street, Glasgow, admitted assaulting Angus MacLeod to his severe injury in Miami Nightclub, High Street, Inverness on February 1, 2014.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart said there were conflicting accounts about what actually happened.
“Mr MacLeod, who was on a work night out, says Susters was rowdy and he tried to keep his distance from him. But at one stage there was an argument between him and a friend of the accused.
“Susters intervened and punched him. Mr MacLeod was struck on the side of the face and was knocked unconscious. Susters gave himself up to police when he discovered on social media that officers were looking for him.
“Mr MacLeod suffered a fractured jaw and had to have a plate fitted.”
Defence agent Duncan Henderson said his client claimed Mr MacLeod was trying to provoke a fight.
“He uttered an offensive racist remark, swore and called my client a Polish ‘b*******’. He accepts it was not self defence but Mr MacLeod’s previous convictions show offences of a racial nature, of violence and for carrying weapons.”
