New Year drink binge led to man's assault on friend, Highland court is told

A NEW Year drinking marathon turned violent when a 41-year-old man attacked one of his friends.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told that John Muir had been socialising with two other pals, including Donald Dyker, in a house in Kintail Court in Inverness since Hogmanay.

On January 1 this year, the trio walked round to the nearby Scotmid shop to buy more alcohol and they fell out, Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald was told.

Fiscal depute Alex Swain said: “Donald Dyker bought four bottles of wine and as they walked back to the property through an alley, Muir struck Mr Dyker to the face, knocking him to the ground.

“It was reported to police.”

Muir, who has been on remand since January 5, admitted the assault.

Defence solicitor Cecily Kingston said: “He had been drinking with Donald Dyker from New Year’s Eve through to New Year’s Day.

“An argument broke out about the amount of his alcohol consumption.

“My client sensed that Mr Dyker was swinging a bottle behind him, and he turned round and hit him on the face.”

Sentencing Muir to nine months in jail, backdated to the remand date, he will be released almost immediately.

Sheriff Macdonald told him: “You have a terrible record for violent assaults and you committed this one when you were on licence for a previous assault and robbery.”