Two brothers were left with blood on their hands after launching a drink and drug-fuelled assault on a man in Inverness.
Colin Williamson, 26, asked his victim: “What’s your problem?” before punching him in the face.
Together with his brother Shane, 21, he then repeatedly punched the man, leaving him bleeding from the face as they made off.
The Williamson brothers appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing – having previously both admitted a charge of assault to injury, with Shane in the dock and Colin via videolink from custody.
Fiscal depute Adelle Gray told the court that the victim had been walking on Fraser Road in Inverness at around 4.45pm on December 16 last year when he heard Colin shout “Hey!”
When the man turned Colin asked him: “What’s your problem” and then punched him directly in the face.
Ms Gray said: “Both accused simultaneously delivered strikes with closed fists to the head and upper body.”
The fiscal depute told Sheriff Gary Aitken that a passerby in a car stopped and tried to intervene verbally in an attempt to stop the “continuing assault”.
‘Do you want some?’
Shane Williamson then “postured aggressively” towards the witness and asked: “Do you want some?”
Both accused then fled the scene.
The court heard the man was in such a state he was unable to call for assistance himself and needed the help of a witness to contact police.
Sheriff Gary Aitken was provided with images of the man’s injuries.
Just before 5pm the brothers were spotted in Inverness Railway Station by a police officer, who noted they seemed “in an agitated state” and “intoxicated”.
“He noticed blood on the hands of the accused,” Ms Gray added.
Both the Williamsons, of Reid Road, Invergordon, were subsequently arrested and charged.
Solicitor David Patterson, for Shane, said: “He would appear to be a person who just should not drink alcohol.”
Referencing information from the court papers, Sheriff Aitken noted: “It is clear, notwithstanding what the Crown has decided to take a view on, that he decided not only to drink alcohol but to take drugs as well – not a particularly impressive set of decision-making skills.
“I can put him somewhere where he has to make virtually no decisions for himself.”
But, following assurances from Mr Paterson that his client was “remorseful” the sheriff instead placed Shane on a community payback order with two years supervision – with a requirement he not drink alcohol and to submit to testing when required, as well as 240 hours of unpaid work in the community.
Solicitor Rory Gowans, for Colin, said his client had suffered a deterioration in his mental health and had been self-medicating with substances in the run-up to the offence.
“He had clearly taken substances and quite a large quantity,” he told the sheriff.
‘He has let his brother down’
Mr Gowans said: “He wishes to apologise profusely to the gentleman in question for his conduct. He also believes he has let his brother down.
”He should not have got himself in the situation and should not have got his brother in that situation – he bitterly regrets it.”
Sheriff Aitken told him: “You have a poor record, this was an appalling offence there is nothing in your case that could possibly be suitable other than a custodial sentence.”
Noting that Colin Williamson was subject to four bail orders at the time of the crime, he jailed him for a year, backdated to December 18 of last year.
