A violent street attacker that joined three other men who ganged up on three victims outside an Inverness bar has threatened the sheriff who jailed him.
John Madine was involved in a vicious assault outside Sobar on Castle Street, Inverness where he unleashed a barrage of punches on two victims during August 29 2020.
The ordeal was caught on camera by Highland Councillor Duncan Macpherson, who filmed the incident on his mobile phone and gave the video footage to police.
Appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court, Madine interrupted proceedings several times and even swore at the sheriff.
The intoxicated 41-year-old was escorted by five police officers and prisoner security staff over fears he could become violent as he appeared in the dock on Monday.
His defence solictor Willie Young had been trying to deliver a plea of mitigation for his client, whom he warned to be quiet or he would withdraw from representing him.
Stuart Drummond, 29, Karl Hoxby, 43, and Joshua McCarthy, 22, were last week jailed for their roles in the attack.
But the fourth attacker, John Madine, had previously failed to appear for sentencing and Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald then issued a warrant.
Stuart Drummond, Karl Hoxby and Joshua McCarthy were convicted on the video evidence and after seeing it, Sheriff MacDonald told the men: “You all looked like you were enjoying yourselves”.
Madine finally sentenced
Madine accepted an invitation to attend for sentencing and had been in court a short time beforehand.
But he left the building only to return later and have a confrontation with people outside.
Police calmed the situation and took him into court to stand before the sheriff.
Barrage of 22 punches
Sheriff Macdonald said of Madine’s first victim: “You punched him six times to the head while he was being held by others and he suffered significant injuries as a result, including a fractured cheekbone.
“Then you punched another man 16 times while holding his clothing and as he was trying to get away.
“Your participation caused significant injury and there is no alternative to a jail sentence.”
As Madine of Queens Close, Poulten le Fylde, Manchester was being led away, he shouted a tirade of foul-mouthed abuse at the sheriff.
He said: “You are a powerful woman. You have jailed a father-of-three but things come back”.
Fractured cheekbone, broken nose
Drummond, Hoxby, McCarthy and Madine admitted assaulting one Sobar customer by seizing him by the neck, pushing him on the body, repeatedly punching him to the head and body and knocking him to the ground, all to his injury.
He suffered severe bruising, the court heard.
All except Hoxby pleaded guilty to assaulting a second man, a bouncer who had intervened in the initial assault, by repeatedly punching him on the head and body to his injury.
The bouncer also suffered bruising.
McCarthy and Madine admitted assaulting a third victim by repeatedly punching him on the head and body, knocking him to the ground and repeatedly kicking him on the head and body, all to his severe injury.
He suffered a fractured cheekbone and broken nose as well as damage to his teeth.
‘Very drunk’
Fiscal depute Susan Love told an earlier hearing that three of the accused were out-of-town contractors installing fibre optic cabling in the area at the time.
The entire group had been outside in the smoking area where there was a minor altercation involving Drummond and the first victim.
Mr Young said: “He has a schedule of previous convictions which does him little credit but they are over 15 years ago.
“He was in the company of colleagues and a group of men were in the bar and very drunk.
“There was a robust exchange with one of his younger colleagues and when he went outside for a cigarette he saw colleagues being struck.
“He became involved and he was shocked when he saw the film and his own involvement.
“It was a confused and frightening situation he found himself in.
“He was surrounded and felt he had to fight his way out of it. He regrets being sucked into an unedifying melee.”
Sheriff Macdonald sentenced Madine to 16 months in prison for his part in the assault.
The sheriff previously sentenced Drummond of Cameron Road, Inverness to 16 months imprisonment.
McCarthy of Verdun Road, Manchester and Hoxby of Mount Pleasant Court, Throckley, Newcastle each received 12 months of jail time.
