A man has been jailed after turning violent and bottling a pensioner while going door-to-door trying to sell alcohol to fund his drug habit.
Kevin McGregor flew into a rage when the 69-year-old man refused to open his door, and threatened to smash a window to force his way into the flat on Balnagask Road.
When the brave pensioner followed McGregor, 36, into the back garden to plead with him not to smash his windows, the attacker went ahead and shattered a pane of glass with a bottle.
But the incident escalated significantly when McGregor, who was under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, produced another bottle and hit the elderly man over the head with it repeatedly, leaving him covered in blood.
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie told Aberdeen Sheriff Court McGregor turned up at the block of flats around 10pm on August 5 this year.
A neighbour of the complainer heard a knock at her door and was met by an “intoxicated” McGregor who offered to sell her some items.
Prison ‘doesn’t deal with the underlying problem’
She refused and closed the door, but watched through her peephole as McGregor made his way upstairs and heard him knocking on other doors, including a 69-year-old man’s.
Ms Gammie said: “The complainer refused to answer his door, which the accused was kicking and knocking on, and the complainer shouted that he wouldn’t be letting the accused inside.
“The accused threatened to smash the complainer’s window to gain entry, produced a glass bottle and held it above his head whilst still outside the complainer’s door.”
McGregor then ran into the rear communal garden and the pensioner followed to ask him not to smash his window.
But, undeterred, McGregor swung a bottle against a window, causing it to shatter.
Ms Gammie told the court: “The complainer confronted the accused about his actions however the accused produced a glass bottle from his bag and struck the complainer over the head twice, causing his head to bleed profusely.”
Cowardly McGregor then ran off but was soon traced by police in the communal hallway of a block of flats on Kerloch Place.
His victim was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and found two lacerations to his head, each 3-4cm in length, which had to be glued shut.
McGregor, described in court papers as prisoner of HMP Grampian, but understood to have been moved to HMP Barlinnie, pled guilty to two charges.
‘He apologises profusely to the gentleman’
He admitted assault to severe injury and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Defence agent Lynn Bentley said: “This happened when he was under the influence of both drink and drugs to the point he has little recollection of what took place other than having been in the building to sell some drink to raise money in order to fund his use of drugs.
“He feels prison protects the public from him but it doesn’t deal with the underlying problem.”
Ms Bentley said her client had no wish to use drugs again and was even stopping smoking, adding he presented as “fresh and drug-free”.
She added: “He apologises profusely to the gentleman who was doing nothing other than sitting in his own home.
“He has expressed genuine remorse.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said that, due to McGregor’s record and the fact the offence was committed against a stranger, she would not impose a community sentence.
She jailed McGregor for 16 months with an eight-month supervised release order, but added she “very much hopes” he is able to remain drug-free and turn his life around.
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