A man who attacked his father with a knife because he suspected him of killing his mother, has had sentence deferred once more for further mental health information.
Missing hairdresser Heather Thomson’s son Christopher Thomson had convinced himself his natural father had something to do with her mystery disappearance at the age of 27 in 1994.
The 21-year-old confronted Gerard Salvadori at his home in Conon Bridge after travelling from Inverness on a bus.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the court that almost immediately he started to talk about his mother, implying that Salvadori knew something about the disappearance.
“Thomson then punched his father twice to the left-hand side of his face, before going into the kitchen.
“He came out holding a knife, walked up to his father and struck him a couple of times on the head with the bottom of the handle of the knife, before putting the knife down.
“Later that day, Thomson’s then partner Olivia McKay called Thomson and she could hear in the background Mr Salvadori shouting, crying and screaming.
“She couldn’t make out what was being said but she heard Thomson say to Gerard Salvadori that he had killed his mother.”
In May, Thomson, of 1 Castle Heather Avenue, Inverness, admitted assaulting his father to his injury by repeatedly punching him on the face, detaining him against his will and striking him on the head with the handle of a knife.
Sentence had already been deferred for a background report as well as a psychiatrist’s report. But defence lawyer Shahid Latif asked for a further deferral until September 29 for clarification of the mental health assessment.
