A boyfriend who struck a party-goer on the head with a glass, after he was “smutty” to his girlfriend and touched her thigh, avoided jail yesterday at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Stuart Ross, 49, of 211 Mackintosh Road, Inverness, was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid community work as an alternative to prison.
He was also ordered to undergo an alcohol treatment programme and to be under social work supervision for a year.
Ross admitted assaulting David Stewart to his injury at another address in Mackintosh Road. Sentence was deferred until yesterday for a background report.
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told the court that drinking had been going on throughout the day at that address on February 19, 2013.
He added: “One of the men began behaving inappropriately and was making smutty remarks towards one of the women there. She was Ross’s girlfriend.
“He also touched her thigh. When Ross became aware of what he was doing, he picked up a glass and struck him on the head with it.
“However the police weren’t called. It was only when the ambulance service told the police that they became involved.
“Mr Stewart was taken to hospital where a doctor treated two wounds to his forehead and applied a total of six stitches.”
Defence solicitor Rory Gowans said his client had an alcohol problem and was receiving medication from his GP.
“His reaction was disproportionate to what happened.”
