A man has pleaded guilty to assaulting his father with a bottle during a drinking session.
Thomas Andrew Barr, 34, of Castle Road, Dunbeg, appeared at Oban Sheriff Court yesterday.
He pleaded guilty to striking Thomas John Barr on the head with a bottle or similar instrument, to his injury at MacCallum Court, Dunbeg, on March 21.
Fiscal Eoin McGinty said the father and son had been drinking together at the home of a mutual friend, a Mr McCuish.
Mr McGinty said: “The three began to drink heavily into the afternoon. At 2.30pm for no apparent reason the accused to umbrage to something and lifted a bottle and struck his father upon the head with it. Mr McCuish immediately phoned the police.
“Police arrived and saw the complainer with the head injury bleeding profusely. An ambulance was summoned.”
Mr Barr snr originally told police he had been assaulted by his son. But he then became uncooperative and would not allow police to photograph his injury.
Sheriff Ruth Anderson told solicitor Edward Thornton, “We can’t have them going about thumping one and other with bottles.”
Mr Thornton said: “There had been a tremendous amount of alcohol consumed during the day. Mr Barr jnr has no recollection of this event, none whatsoever. He has accepted he must be the party responsible for the injury.
“In fairness to Mr Barr jnr he seems to have had a watershed moment on being liberated at the end of March this year following this incident. He referred himself to local addiction services. As a result of this he has totally abstained from alcohol for eight months.”
Sheriff Ruth Anderson said: “I am prepared to defer sentence for a period of time and keep an eye on it. I recognise that if he has been alcohol free for that amount of time, that in itself is a considerable achievement.”
She told Barr that this was a difficult time of year to avoid alcohol, adding, “This is a real challenge for you. I hope with the assistance of Addaction you have got plans in place to cope.”
Sentence was deferred until April 25.
