A man struck his childhood friend on the head, knocking him to the ground, as the pair rowed on the street about a woman.
The street brawl occurred on Bank Street, Balintore, on November 3, 2022.
Alistair Stewart confronted his victim amid an “ongoing disagreement” that had been sparked when the other man started seeing his ex-partner.
Stewart floored his childhood friend with a hefty blow, leaving him with bruises and swelling.
The 35-year-old thug appeared at Tain Sheriff Court, where he pled guilty to a charge of assault to injury.
‘An argument of sorts’
The court heard that Stewart’s victim and a companion were walking towards the man’s home around 3pm on the day of the incident.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said their route took them past Stewart’s address, where they noticed he was “within his vehicle on the driveway”.
Stewart then “engaged in an argument of sorts with the complainer,” Ms Silver added.
He got out of the car and approached the other man before striking him on the left side of his head, causing him to fall to the ground.
A bystander intervened and ushered Stewart away, and then the other man walked home.
When police visited him there, they saw he had suffered bruising and swelling.
However, the injured man refused to go to the hospital for treatment, so he was left in the care of a family member instead.
‘The friendship is well and truly over’
Solicitor David Patterson, defending Stewart, told the court: “The complainer is a former friend. They had been since childhood.
“It transpired that the complainer started a relationship with his former partner. There had been an ongoing disagreement about that.”
Mr Patterson told Sheriff Neil Wilson that it was the cause of his client’s bad behaviour.
“He accepts his conduct. He is remorseful,” the lawyer added.
He also told the court that the pair had no further contact, explaining that their friendship “is well and truly over”.
Sheriff Wilson told Stewart: “You know full well you shouldn’t have done what you did. You should have walked away.”
He placed Stewart, of Rannoch Place, Balintore, on a community payback order requiring him to complete 80 hours of unpaid work in the community.