A serial thug has been jailed after punching a man in an Aberdeen pub toilet and leaving him unconscious on the floor.
Liam Smith had been drinking in Cooper’s Bar on the city’s John Street on June 2 last year when he carried out his brutal attack.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard Smith, 33, and his victim were known to each other as they both frequented the city centre bar.
The two had a “confrontation” at around 2pm, the court was told, but nothing physical took place at first.
Fiscal depute Brian Young explained that Smith followed the other man into the toilet.
He said: “He punched him to the face, causing the complainer to fall backwards and strike his head on the ground.”
The single blow knocked the other man unconscious and his head was bleeding – and Smith walked back to the bar area.
Victim found unconscious
A member of bar staff found the injured man and an ambulance was called.
Mr Young said: “An attending paramedic assessed that the wound would likely require stitches to close but the complainer refused to be conveyed to hospital.”
The two-inch wound resulted in scarring, the court was told.
Police were also contacted and arrested Smith, who was still at the bar.
Smith admitted one charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement and also of behaving in a threatening manner.
Argued self-defence
His defence agent Neil McRobert argued that both men had admitted being drunk within the bar, but said his client thought there was an element of self-defence to his actions, as he had received some verbal abuse.
“He should not have acted in the way he did,” Mr McRobert continued. “He could have walked away.
“They were fighting each other in the toilet – his position is that he was punched by the complainer.
“There is later police body-worn footage of him with blood coming from his nose.”
Sheriff William Summers queried why that did not agree with the Crown’s version of events and made mention of Smith’s lengthy record of seven previous assault convictions – four of which had left victims injured.
‘You are someone who resorts to violence far too quickly’
Mr Young said there had been no other witnesses in the toilet to back up Smith’s claim, but did acknowledge he had appeared with injuries at Kittybrewster’s custody suite’s charge bar.
Mr McRobert urged Sheriff Summers not to jail his client, saying he was now working full-time and his attitude had “finally clicked into place”.
However, Sheriff Summers ignored this request and declared: “Should he be allowed to go about Aberdeen battering people before he is sent to jail?
“This is a serious offence – a single punch can have dangerous consequences.
“It is quite clear that you are someone who resorts to violence far too quickly. Your last four convictions are for assault to injury.
“You left your victim lying on the floor bleeding from a head wound. It is only good fortune that he was found by a member of staff.
“In my opinion only, a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Smith, of Bedford Avenue, was jailed for 15 months.
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