A “noisy neighbour” was violently pushed down a flight of stairs with the incident recorded on a guest house’s CCTV system.
The incident occurred in a home of multiple occupancy – the Winmar Guest House in Kenneth Street, Inverness – on November 6 last year.
Last month, the footage was shown to Sheriff Margaret Neilson at Inverness Sheriff Court who called for a background report on 33-year-old Dawid Grzybek who admitted the assault on his 23-year-old victim.
He appeared for sentence yesterday and narrowly avoided being jailed for the attack which the Sheriff described as “extremely violent.”
Instead she ordered Grzybek, who has previously served three terms of imprisonment, to carry out the maximum 300 hours unpaid community work. He was also placed under a year’s social work supervision.
The court heard Grzybek of Telford Street, Inverness, called police to complain about noise being made by another in the guest house.
Officers attended and spoke to both men before Grzybek made another complaint 15 minutes later and the police returned.
On this occasion, the court was told, they spoke to other residents who said there was no noise.
CCTV subsequently recorded Grzybek coming out of his room and words being exchanged between both men.
Grzybek then pulled the other man to the top of the stairs, pushed him down to the next landing and began pointing aggressively at him.
Grzybek’s victim called the police and he was arrested.
He told police: “I don’t really feel guilty as he was provoking me all night.”
Mr Wilson told Sheriff Neilson: “He had a job interview the next morning and he was being kept awake by this man, slamming doors and the like.
“He accepts he lost his temper and confronted him in the hallway. He shouldn’t have done it. My client presents as a lonely individual and self medicates with alcohol. Supervision will help guide him away from trouble.”
Mr Wilson added that the victim had twice failed to turn up for earlier trial dates to give evidence.
“It perhaps demonstrates his attitude towards what happened,” the solicitor added.
