Three men who laughed as they took pot shots at a group of children in a ‘drive-by’ airpistol shooting narrowly avoided a jail sentence yesterday.
Grant Mightens, Alexander Maciver and Callum Dingwall injured eight of the youngsters, firing at them from a car as their targets walked along a Highland beach.
Yesterday at Inverness Sheriff Court, the trio were each given 300 hours of unpaid community work and handed a 7pm to 6am curfew.
All three men were warned by Sheriff Margaret Neilson that if they failed to carry out the work or breached curfew, they would be sent to custody.
Sentence had been deferred Mightens, 21, of Upper Docharty, Dingwall, 19-year-old Maciver, of Peffrey Road, Dingwall, and Callum Dingwall, 18, of Obsdale Road, Alness.
They previously admitted assaulting the boys and girls, who were all under 16, at about 5pm on April 21 on Rosemarkie Beach.
The trio admitted repeatedly firing air pistols at them to their injury.
None of the injured required hospital treatment but were left bleeding and with scratches and marks on their legs, arms, chest and back.
Sheriff Neilson said: “You are extremely lucky that the injuries caused were not more serious. Your collective behaviour was disgraceful and dangerous. It was bravado, immature and thinking you were hard. But if you go into the prison system or a young offender’s institution, you won’t find yourselves so hard.”
She added that she found it hard to believe that there was ‘no concept that they may kill someone or shoot an eye out”.
Mightens lawyer, Rory Gowans said: “He is deeply ashamed of what he did. He wishes he could turn the clock back. It was a moment of madness and a terrible thing to do. His parents are ashamed and don’t condone what he did. But they will support him and keep him on the straight and narrow.”
MacIver’s solicitor Jamie McNair said: “He accepts his behaviour was entirely reprehensible. He had no concept of the consequences.”
For Dingwall, Ian Moir said: “He has not tried to shirk his reponsibility and is extremely remorseful.”
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Michelle Molley told Sheriff Neilson that the accused kept firing as the group of youngsters tried to get away.
She added: “Police were informed and Mightens was traced in his vehicle later that evening. He told police “is this over the BB gun?
“The other two later surrendered themselves to police.”