'Assault to injury' earns Ross-shire man a prison sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court
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AN Easter Ross man who delivered food parcels during last year’s lockdown was locked up for a year at Inverness Sheriff Court after admitting assault to injury.
Appearing for sentence was 36-year-old Lee Porteous, of Chapelhill Flats, Portmahomack who admitted assaulting David Boyle to his injury by repeatedly punching him on the head in the Mansfield Estate on January 17, 2020. Sheriff Margaret Neilson had deferred sentence for a background report and defence solicitor advocate Neil Wilson invited the court to jail his client as a non-custodial sentence was not appropriate.
He explained: “He is in custody on another analogous matter. During last year’s lockdown he was delivering food parcels for a local charity. But he has now seemed to get himself into more trouble.
“What the court is presented with here is a fall-out between friends, erstwhile pals or drinking buddies over drugs my client had not received.
“He says he retaliated in self defence. But it is not as he could have left and not got involved in a fight,” Mr Wilson said.
At a previous hearing, fiscal depute Robert Weir said an ambulance and police were called and Mr Boyle was found to be “bleeding from numerous wounds to his head.”
Mr Weir went on: “He was shouting loudly about seeking revenge on his assailant. He said ‘mark my words, I’m going to slash Porteous for this.’
“He was admitted to hospital overnight for observation. He was found to have a small fracture to his left nasal bone, bruising to his head and small cuts to his scalp. Boyle has also been reported (to the fiscal).
“Porteous received 10 stitches to the two lacerations to the rear of his head,” Mr Weir added.
