An engagement party ended in violence when a young woman was left lying unconscious on the ground with a broken jaw, Inverness Sheriff Court heard yesterday.
Health care assistant Jade Whitton was knocked on to the pavement of Inverness’s High Street in the early hours of August 16 after she was punched in the face and needed surgery to have two metal plates inserted in the double fracture.
The 24-year-old also lost and broke several teeth and told a jury she still had no sensation in the left side of her jaw and sensitivity in her teeth.
She was giving evidence at the trial of 22-year-old Jordon Greig from Easter Ross, who is accused of assaulting her.
He denies the charge and has lodged a special defence of self defence, claiming he was protecting himself after another man swung a punch at him.
CCTV footage was played to the jury of the moment Ms Whitton was struck. It showed an argument between Greig and a group of other people, including Ms Whitton and the man who attempted to hit Greig.
Greig is then seen to retreat from the group and Ms Whitton move forward to knock his baseball cap off.
Greig then advances, a punch is swung by an unidentified man in a grey shirt, and Greig delivers a blow which lands on Ms Whitton and she topples backwards.
The man in the grey shirt then swings another punch at Greig who runs off, pursued by two staff of the nearby Caledonian Bar.
The court was told Greig was intercepted and detained by police on mobile patrol in Queensgate.
PC Daniel Whittington told the jury that Greig stopped to talk to them and complained of being assaulted.
“He complained he had a sore jaw and asked if he could see a nurse.”
Earlier, Ms Whitton told the trial that she had been with a group of friends at an engagement meal and spent the rest of the evening in The Den.
She said as they were leaving, there was an argument between two of her friends and Greig.
“I can’t remember anything after that until I woke in an ambulance with police officers. I don’t know who swung the first punch at Jordan.” Ms Whitton added.
The trial, which is expected to finish on Thursday, continues.