A man who attacked a former neighbour with a baseball bat has been warned by a sheriff that “all sentencing options” will be open to him.
Sheriff Andrew Berry told Martin Beeching, who he will sentence next month, that possession and use of such a weapon in public, regardless of the background, was “a very serious matter”.
The sheriff added: “Such assaults are dealt harshly by the courts, some might say too harshly, but the consequences can be serious”, adding that appropriate sentences acted as a deterrent to others who might behave in a similar fashion.
Beeching, 36, formerly of Harrow Terrace, Wick, pleaded guilty to possession of the baseball bat and assaulting Adrian Begg with it.
The early morning incident occurred on May 28 in the Harrowhill area of Wick, the town’s sheriff court heard yesterday.
Fiscal Matthew Kerr said that a witness observed Beeching, said to have been under the influence of alcohol, approach Mr Begg from behind.
Mr Kerr went on: “Mr Begg turned round and the accused swung the bat and struck him on the back of his leg.”
He said that the assaulted man sustained a considerable amount of bruising and some pain but did not require medical treatment.
Solicitor Sylvia Maclennan told the court that the assault had stemmed from a long-running neighbours dispute.
She added that Beeching and his wife had since moved away from Harrow Terrace, and the accused did not wish his new address to be divulged. The sheriff ruled accordingly.
Beeching will be sentenced on November 21 after the Sheriff Berry considers a background report.
