A teenager who led a “cowardly” gang assault on a Moray pensioner has been spared jail.
Dylan Aspland, 19, was one of four youths who battered 67-year-old Thomas Rigley outside his sheltered housing complex.
During a frenzied attack the youths turfed a wheelie bin onto Mr Rigley’s bloodied frame.
Aspland appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday alongside a 17-year-old accomplice, who can not be named for legal reasons.
And fiscal Ruaraidh MacAllister revealed the two others who helped carry out the sickening beating were too young to face the court.
Mr Rigley had been tormented by the teenagers ringing his doorbell for weeks before the incident, the court heard.
To provide police with the identities of his young antagonists, Mr Rigley photographed the group near his home on Sunday, June 12.
However, the court heard that this angered the unruly youths and later that day they struck.
Mr McAllister added: “When Mr Rigley was returning from the police station having reported those issues, he passed that group.
“He ignored them, but the group followed him to the entrance of Forsyth Close.
“Mr Rigley managed to shut the gate there but was unable to lock it because the accused were kicking and pushing it.”
Two teenagers then left the pack and accessed the lane from an opposite entrance, appearing behind the frightened pensioner.
The court heard that Mr Rigley was then shoved to the ground, and badly beaten.
When police officers attended at Mr Rigley’s home they spotted a “significant amount of blood” on his stairwell, walls and household fittings.
He was taken to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin for treatment, and later had to be transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for plastic surgery on a cut on his hand.
Both Aspland, of 21 Springburn Place in Elgin, and his co-accused admitted assaulting Mr Rigley by knocking him to the ground and repeatedly punching and kicking him on the head and body.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov was shown disturbing images of the pensioner’s bruised face.
But she opted to spare the culprits imprisonment – and deferred sentence until next month for assessments on restriction of liberty orders.
She said: “This was a disgusting and cowardly act, but I’m not convinced you would come back from prison as better people.”
Solicitor David Adam, said Aspland was a first offender who recognised his actions were “inexcusable”.
