A soldier who pushed chips in a man’s face and called him a homophobic slur has been ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to his victim.
Thomas Howells, 19, appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court having previously pled guilty to a single charge of threatening or abusive behaviour in relation to the incident on December 22 last year.
Sentencing on his co-accused – fellow soldier Ian Mulroy, 19, who previously admitted a charge of assault to injury relating to the same incident – was further deferred as a pre-sentencing report was not yet available.
Both charges included an aggravation relating to sexual orientation.
A previous hearing heard how the pair targeted a man heading home from a night out in the city.
On that occasion, fiscal depute Karen Poke said the victim had been enjoying a night out with another person and was on his way home at around 3am when he encountered Howells and Mulroy.
‘Completely unprovoked’
She said: “They had left Johnny Foxes and had walked to Max’s takeaway before continuing towards the High Street so that they could get a taxi.
“Mr Howells went up to them both and forcefully pushed the complainer’s chips into his face while making derogatory comments, shouting and calling him a ‘f****t’ and a ‘p**f’”.
Ms Poke said that the witness “backed away” from the pair.
“It was at this point that the accused Mulroy has gone on to assault the complainer, a completely unprovoked attack, he is not known to this witness, as libelled,” she added.
The attack was caught on CCTV and when police arrived at the scene they spoke with both accused.
Howells is based at Somme Barracks in Catterick, North Yorkshire and Mulroy at Wellington Barracks in London.
‘Ordinarily a polite young man’
Following the guilty pleas, Sheriff Gary Aitken told the pair: “Behaviour of this kind is utterly unacceptable, you should both be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves.”
However, at Howells’ sentencing hearing, solicitor Rory Gowans told the court that his client was “a respected soldier and ordinarily a polite young man”.
He said he was “appalled” by his own behaviour and offered his apologies, adding: “He will, of course, be punished by the army.”
Sheriff Aitken instead made a compensation order in the amount of £1,000.
He told Howells: “I trust that under no circumstances will you find yourself back in court for violent or abusive behaviour of any kind.”
Mulroy will return to court for sentencing next month.
