A man who choked a hotel manager until he was unconscious and then assaulted officers dealing with the incident has been spared jail.
Dean Allan grabbed the hotel worker by the neck during a drunken dispute and refused to let go until the man fell unconscious.
When police arrested him he kicked one constable on the body and grabbed a second by the throat.
Allan, 29, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing having previously admitted three charges of assault and one of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in relation to the incident.
A previous hearing was told that the incident began at the Onich Hotel in Fort William on March 27 2022.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood said Allan was staying at the hotel with his wife for one night.
She said that Allan was drinking in the bar and by midnight he was “heavily intoxicated”.
He approached the general manager and there was a dispute between them. which culminated in Allan grabbing the man by the neck and choking him.
Despite the general manager begging him to let go, Allan maintained his grip until his victim blacked out.
Victim ‘fell to the ground unconscious’
“The general manager fell to the ground unconscious and an ambulance and police were called,” Ms Hood said.
The hotel boss recovered but was disorientated, had pain in his chest and was dizzy, she added.
“Police arrested Allan and as he was being placed in their van he kicked a constable on the body. No treatment was required,” she continued.
“At Fort William Police Station, he shouted and swore at officers and said he had a knife in his sock and he would slash his throat.
“As he was being placed in a suicide suit, he grabbed another constable by the throat and restricted his breathing.”
Solicitor John Mcleod, for Allan, told the court that his client had been present for an “otherwise unremarkable” occasion and could not explain his behaviour, except to say that he had drunk whisky mixed with other alcohol.
He said his client, who is the sole breadwinner for his household, has “an awful lot to lose”
Sheriff Gary Aitken said: “Whatever the explanation is, behaviour of this kind is utterly unacceptable.
‘Utterly unacceptable’ violence
”Violence when you have taken drink is utterly unacceptable.
“If you had any history of violence whatsoever you would be going to jail for years.”
“I will give you the opportunity to make recompense to the community for this behaviour. Any further violent offending in the future will almost certainly result in a substantial custodial sentence.”
He placed Allan on a CPO with two years of supervision and 225 hours of unpaid work in the community. He also ordered him to pay compensation totalling £1,000 to his three victims.
