An assault on a woman at an Inverness party led to the police later discovering another attack which left a man with a fractured cheek-bone.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 28-year-old David Finlay of Cambray House, Dingwall, had punched Blair Cairns once on the head as he left a house in Larchwood Drive, Inverness on the morning of March 26 last year.
Sentence had been deferred for a background report on Finlay, who admitted assault to severe injury.
He avoided a jail sentence when Sheriff Margaret Neilson ordered him to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and placed him under 18 months of social work supervision.
Last month, fiscal depute Robert Weir told Sheriff Neilson that Mr Cairns was with a Megan Fraser at the party after she had been involved in a dispute with a Beth Morrison earlier that evening.
Mr Weir said that Morrison arrived at the house and assaulted Ms Fraser, an offence to which she pleaded guilty in May this year and was fined.
As Morrison left the property, Finlay then assaulted Mr Cairns.
The court heard the police had been informed of the assault on Ms Fraser but at the time the attack on Mr Cairns had not been reported.
Mr Weir went on: “The next day Mr Cairns suffered dizzy spells and coughed up blood. An x-ray confirmed a fracture of his left cheekbone.
“A week later he had corrective surgery and a metal plate inserted at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
“Following surgery, Mr Cairns made a complaint to the police.” Mr Weir added.
Mr Dickson said Finlay was in a relationship and he was at the house where there had been a disagreement between the two women.
He said the assault was a single blow and the result might well be described as ‘unexpected’.
“Police were contacted not about the punch but about the fight between the two girls.” Mr Dickson added.
