A woman struck a man’s head with part of a toilet during a bar brawl, landing her bleeding victim in the hospital – a court has heard.
Pamela Rattray had been fighting with a woman in the toilets at Lauders Bar, Inverness, when her opponent’s male partner barged into the ladies’ room to defend her.
The 41-year-old then grabbed part of the toilet cistern and hit the man’s head, leaving him with two cuts, one of which required hospital treatment.
Rattray previously admitted charges of threatening or abusive behaviour and assault to injury at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Her lawyer had claimed that his client feared the man “was going to assault her” but Sheriff Robert Frazer told Rattray that she “should know better”.
‘A fight broke out’
Fiscal depute Karen Poke told the court that the incident occurred at around 2.30am on Sunday August 22 2021.
“The witness had gone to the toilet and came upon the accused,” she said, adding that the women initially acknowledged each other but soon after that “a fight broke out between the two of them”.
The woman’s partner heard the disturbance and went to her assistance, but when he entered the toilet, “the accused took part of the toilet cistern and used it to strike him over the head” – causing injury and bleeding.
Rattray was arrested but gave no reply when cautioned and charged.
However, she admitted to officers that she had struck the man.
Injuries required hospital treatment
He was treated by medical staff outside the bar and then taken to Raigmore Hospital for treatment, before discharging himself against medical advice.
The man suffered two cuts, one of which required a medical procedure to close it.
Rattray’s defence solicitor Rory Gowans told the court that the incident had taken place at closing time in the licensed premises.
And he said that his client now wished she had just gone home.
In mitigation for the assault, he told the court: “The male came in and she perceived that he was going to assault her, so, she hit him”.
“Quite what he was doing in the female toilets, I don’t know,” Mr Gowans added.
‘Distress and upset’
Sheriff Robert Frazer handed the accused a community payback order with 12 months of supervision and 120 hours of unpaid work.
He told Rattray, of Galloway Drive in Culloden: “Your behaviour on that particular occasion is completely unacceptable.
“It causes not only distress and upset to those you were involved with, but other members of the public.
“Given your age, you should know better,” he added.
