A mechanic has avoided a prison sentence after he abducted and repeatedly assaulted a customer who complained that a car he had been sold was faulty.
Garage owner Martin Heaney, also known as Seers, trapped the man inside Portsoy Auto Services after he was threatened with legal action over the vehicle.
Heaney, 32, slammed the garage door shut to prevent the man from leaving before punching him to the ground and throttling him.
The customer tried on three separate occasions to escape but Heaney refused to open the garage door and the brutal attack continued.
Confrontation over faulty car
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told the man purchased the vehicle from the Seafield Terrace garage in October 2020 but had returned on four occasions to try to get the engine fixed.
At around 1.45pm on December 12 2020 the man again went to the garage to speak to Heaney about the faulty car and brought up the prospect of legal action.
“As the complainer began to open the shop door, the accused slammed it shut and began punching the complainer to the left-hand side of the face,” the fiscal said.
“The complainer turned to face the accused, who punched him on the face again, which caused him to fall to the ground.
“The accused then struck him with his knee to the face whilst he was on the ground, causing his nose to bleed.”
Throttled and punched in the face
As the man stood up, Heaney then grabbed him around the throat and squeezed so hard his victim was struggling to breathe.
Heaney forced the man to the ground and repeatedly punched him in the face while continuing to throttle him.
The complainer managed to get back to his feet and tried to leave the garage on three occasions, however, Heaney slammed the door shut each time and carried on the attack.
Eventually, the man managed to open the door enough to squeeze out and went to Keith Police Station to report the terrifying incident.
As a result of the attack, Heaney’s victim suffered reddening to his neck, a sore jaw, a bloody nose and a chipped tooth.
Heaney pleaded guilty to one charge of abduction and assault by punching the man, kneeing him to the face and compressing his neck.
‘Clearly a significant assault’
Defence agent Stuart Beveridge said: “He does very much regret his behaviour on that occasion – it was a momentary lapse in his temper.
“It was a reaction to how the complainer acted towards him.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Heaney: “This is clearly a significant assault.
“This incident arose from a disagreement about repairs to a car but it was a discussion relating to another matter concerning the complainer’s past that really precipitated this assault.
“I understand from the criminal justice social work report that even you are at a bit of a loss as to why you carried out this questioning of this man in relation to his past.
“If there is an issue there it rather sounds to me as if the law had taken its course.
“It was clearly not for you to take the law into your own hands and mete out your own retribution as you saw it.”
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Miller ordered Heaney, of Wellfield Terrace, Aberchirder, to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order with supervision for 12 months.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
