A warrant has been granted for the arrest of a married father who choked a stripper unconscious in Aberdeen and then fled to Lithuania.
Mantas Gervetauskas returned to his homeland following the disturbing attack on a woman at Private Eyes in 2019.
At an earlier hearing, the 36-year-old entered a plea of guilty through his solicitor who tried to convince the sheriff to deal with the case in his absence with a fine and compensation.
But Sheriff Morag McLaughlin was having none of it, stating that the vicious assault was so serious that a custodial sentence could be a possible outcome.
‘State of complete intoxication through alcohol’
The case was continued for Gervetauskas to be personally present, but a warrant for his arrest has now been issued after he failed to come back to Scotland.
Gervetauskas, whose address was still given in court papers as Threave Wynd in Inverurie, pled guilty to assaulting the dancer to her injury and to the danger of her life in the Bridge Street club on November 7 2019.
He pushed her on the body, restrained her, repeatedly seized and compressed her neck and compressed and grabbed her by the body.
‘Custody as the first consideration’
Gervetauskas had also faced an allegation of sexually assaulting the woman by touching her breast and repeatedly attempting to kiss her on the mouth, however, the Crown accepted a plea of not guilty to that charge.
Defence agent Liam Mcallister, at the earlier hearing, said: “My client is a Lithuanian national.
“In November 2019, he had been living in the UK for a number of years.
“He lived here with his family, his wife and two children in Inverurie.”
Addressing his client’s absence, Mr Mcallister said: “He’s still in Lithuania.
“After this incident occurred and Mr Gervetauskas was admitted to bail, he turned his life around spectacularly.
“He gave up his employment with a self-employed business in Aberdeen and made arrangements for him and his family to return to Lithuania and has been back in Lithuania ever since.”
Mr Mcallister said Gervetauskas had set up a new business in Lithuania, and his ability to return to Scotland had been impacted by being an army reservist and the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
The solicitor explained: “The background is that he was an alcoholic and had significant issues with alcohol.
‘Did he go home because he knew he was facing a charge?’
“The offence took place when he was in a state of complete intoxication through alcohol.
“Since this incident, he has been alcohol-free, having attended AA meetings and a rehabilitation course.”
Mr Mcallister suggested the case could be dealt with without Gervetauskas being there, with a fine and compensation order imposed.
But Sheriff Morag McLaughlin would not be persuaded.
She said: “He’s pled guilty to assault to danger of life, restricting her breathing to the extent that she lost consciousness.
“That has to have custody as the first consideration.
“I’m prepared to continue it for a short period of time for his personal appearance.
“Did he go home because he knew he was facing a charge of endangering someone’s life and facing a possible custodial sentence? It has to be questioned.”
However, now, Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood has granted a warrant for Gervetauskas’ arrest after he still didn’t appear for the sentencing hearing.
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