A Laggan man who battered a friend with a marble rolling pin and scarred him for life escaped a jail sentence yesterday.
Although Sheriff Sara Matheson described the attack on Kincraig Man Terry Haggerty as “horrific,” she decided against sending 36-year-old Jason Macdonald to prison.
She told Macdonald of Glensherra, Laggan: “Your record of employment, your remorse and the steps you have taken to distance yourself from trouble is keeping you out of prison today.”
She ordered Macdonald to do 240 hours of unpaid community work, be under two years of social work supervision and take part in an offender’s programme.
The sheriff also imposed a restriction of liberty order, confining Macdonald to his home between 9pm and 7am and to wear an electronic tag.
The court had previously been told that the location of the assault was Mr Haggerty’s home address on July 9, 2020. He had invited Macdonald and a woman over for a drink.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that the woman went to the bedroom to watch TV and fell asleep on the bed, leaving Mr Haggerty and Macdonald in the living room.
Just before midnight, the woman was woken up by Mr Haggerty, who had come into the bedroom to get blankets for Macdonald so that he could sleep on the sofa.
But when he returned to the bedroom, Macdonald came in, shouting that he was being “disrespected” and began punching Mr Haggerty, fiscal depute Robert Weir told Sheriff Matheson.
The woman managed to pull Macdonald off Mr Haggerty and took him through to the kitchen. But Macdonald picked up the rolling pin, returned to the bedroom and struck Mr Haggerty repeatedly on the face and head.
Mr Weir said: “The woman managed to pull the accused away from Mr Haggerty once more and took him through to the kitchen. Mr Haggerty then barricaded himself in the bedroom and called the police.”
An ambulance was called and Mr Haggerty was taken to Raigmore Hospital, suffering from significant swelling and bruising.
Mr Weir said: “He was also found to have a fractured eye socket and a blood clot behind his eye, losing all vision. But over time this improved and he has now recovered his vision to what it was prior to the assault.
“However he has been left with two scars on his head 2.5 inches long and 3 inches long respectively.”
Macdonald admitted assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
