An Aberdeen man has been electronically tagged after he slashed his victim across the face with a kitchen knife.
Father-of-one Clay Craig admitted to carrying out the “unprovoked” and “alcohol-fuelled” attack on his father’s neighbour.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how the 26-year-old grabbed a long pink-handled knife and slashed the man across the face before walking away.
Due to his injuries, Craig’s blood-soaked victim had to attend Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where his wound was closed with surgical glue.
The man has been left with a permanent scar on his face.
Victim fell to ground after vicious attack
Fiscal depute Brian Young told the court that at around 9am on April 20 last year Craig went to his girlfriend’s house after he was assaulted in the street by an unnamed assailant.
At around 6pm the same day, Craig was dropped off at his father’s Kincorth home where the two men went outside to the communal garden.
A neighbour came out for a cigarette around an hour later and an argument ensued.
“The accused was in possession of a pink-handled kitchen knife which had a 4-5 inch blade,” Mr Young said.
“He used this to slash the complainer to the face.
“The complainer fell to the concrete floor and hit the right side of his face off the ground – his face began to bleed.
“The accused shouted at the complainer as he proceeded to walk away with his father.”
Craig was picked up by his girlfriend soon after as his victim contacted the police.
Accused admitted knife assault was ‘unprovoked’
Officers attended at the scene and found the man with an injury to his face and soon after went to Craig’s father’s home where they seized the pink-handled kitchen knife.
The victim was taken to ARI where doctors closed a two-inch laceration on his left cheek with surgical glue.
Mr Young stated that the man will be left with a permanent scar.
Craig was arrested by police the following morning and taken to Kittybrewster Police Station where he “fully admitted to assaulting the complainer by slashing his cheek with a knife”.
He also told officers the attack was “unprovoked” and fuelled by “alcohol and anger”, adding that he had “no justification” for carrying out the assault.
Craig admitted to one charge of having an offensive weapon and a second charge of striking a person to the head with a knife to their injury and permanent disfigurement.
‘He was quite boozy’
Defence agent Paul Barnett described the attack as an “alcohol-related incident”the background of which was rooted in his client being assaulted earlier in the day as he walked to work.
“He spoke to his boss about the situation and thereafter he went out for food and drinks with his girlfriend before returning to his father’s address,” Mr Barnett said.
“He had had a fair amount to drink and was quite boozy and his father had complained to him about his neighbour’s behaviour – antisocial behaviour essentially.
“Mr Craig heard the complainer shouting from outside and saw red, he then took a knife from his father’s kitchen and committed this offence.
“He knows it was a disproportionate reaction and he is massively regretful.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Craig that “obviously, custody is at the forefront of the court’s mind when it’s an offence of this seriousness”.
“I’m thinking about your young age and the risk you pose,” she said.
“But I’m also thinking about your employment and the fact that you have a child.”
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff McLaughlin made Craig, of Printfield Terrace, Aberdeen, subject to an electronic tag for 10 months.
She also sentenced him to a community payback order with supervision for two years and ordered him to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work.
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