A north-east grandad has said he is lucky to be alive after he was viciously assaulted in the early hours of the morning as he made his way home from the pub.
Alexander Sutherland was violently attacked in Banff by up to five men who left him bloodied and unconscious before they piled into a car and made their escape from the area.
The 59-year-old was beaten so badly on March 13 he needed 11 stitches to his face and a blood transfusion.
And it was only last night, one week on, that he eventually felt able to speak of his ordeal.
“I don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” he said.
On the day of the attack Mr Sutherland had been making his way home from the pub.
He said: “I felt a big smack on the back of my head which knocked me clean out.
“I never felt any other blows – but they have obviously kicked and punched me on the face.
“I woke up in Chalmers Hospital and could feel the blood pumping out of the wounds and running down the side of my face.
“I am lucky to still be here.”
Branding it an “unprovoked attack”, he added: “I wasn’t going to turn and fight as that could have made things worse.”
Mr Sutherland, a popular face in his hometown, has played in local bands for the last 40 years and is currently the drummer in a ceilidh group.
He said he is not a regular pub-goer and had only been out at the Railway Inn on the night of his attack because he was celebrating a friend’s birthday.
He said the last time he had been to a pub was about 20 years ago.
Mr Sutherland said that as he was making his way home with a member of his family and a friend they became aware of a group of men approaching them.
He said they started shouting before one of the men in his group shouted at them to run.
But it was too late for Mr Sutherland as he was suddenly struck to the head.
He was found a short time later lying injured near Stuart Lane and he was taken to hospital.
Mr Sutherland said he is still in pain following the incident which also left him with a large cut above his eye.
Last night his wife, Andrea, said the attack has had a great impact on the whole family, however she said she wanted to try to put the attack behind them.
“It’s not been a good time for any of us,” she said.
“I’ve started waking up with a more positive attitude, thinking we have to go on-wards and upwards.
“It’s not easy, but we’ll get there.”
The couple thanked hospital staff, police and callers for their support.
Police, meanwhile, continue to probe the assault.
It is thought the men involved had bundled into a dark coloured Audi to escape the scene following the incident.
Members of the public are being asked to recall seeing a similar vehicle in the area at about 12.45am on Monday, March 13.
Constable Craig Milne, of the divisional alcohol violence reduction unit, who is leading the investigation, said: “I would appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time in question and saw anything that could assist with our inquiries to get in touch as soon as possible.
“In particular I would appeal to any taxi drivers, motorists or locals who may have been making their way home and saw a group of four or five men in their thirties to let us know.
“We understand some of these men may have been wearing hooded tops and also believe they may have been using a black or dark-coloured car, possibly an Audi.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
