Teenage girl scarred for life after kitchen knife attack in Dingwall, Highland court is told
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A teenage girl from Dingwall scarred another for life by slashing her on the face in a "drug-fuelled" rage – and was this week warned ahead of sentencing that custody is "a real possibility".
Just two months before the October 21, 2020 incident, Kaitlin Moth, of Macrae Crescent, Dingwall terrified another girl in a sustained attack at her home on August 16, 2020.
This week at Inverness Sheriff Court, a tearful Moth, who admitted an assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement and an assault to injury, was warned that custody was "a real possibility".
Sheriff Gary Aitken, who deferred sentence until June 23 for a background report, told the 19-year-old first offender: "With some hesitation, I will allow bail to continue and also call for a restriction of liberty order assessment. It would mean you would have to have an electronic tag and remain indoors during certain hours.
"But you should be under no illusions, these are exceptionally serious charges and a custodial sentence is a real possibility," the Sheriff added.
Defence solicitor Greg Cunningham told the court: "This is a different girl today than the one who committed these offences. They were all drug-fuelled but she is now drug free after multi-agency support."
Sheriff Aitken commented: "Shame she didn't do that before she scarred a girl for life."
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said the first incident occurred after Moth had been drinking in Invergordon. He said she got a taxi to Alness and then on to a house in Cnoc Place, Dingwall after making Snapchat threats towards another girl who lived there.
"There was banging and shouting at the front door and the occupant phoned the police. Moth entered the house and accused the girl of sleeping with her boyfriend.
"She was then dragged by the hair through the property and outside into the garden. Her head caught either the door or the step while being dragged causing a significant wound to her head. She was screaming: 'please help' before she ran to her neighbours," Mr Weir said.
He then told the sheriff about the incident in October when Moth had been drinking with others throughout the day in a house in Bruce Avenue, Dingwall and phoned her second victim.
"They were throwing all sorts of threats at each other according to one witness," Mr Weir went on.
He added that the second victim went to the property and was confronted by Moth who had a kitchen knife.
"There was an altercation, the two females were on the ground for a few minutes and Moth slashed the other with the knife. She had a 2cm wound running from the left side of her nose down to her upper lip and the second was 5cm in length, starting from the left corner of the mouth and running down towards the angle of the jaw. She received nine stitches and will likely need more," Mr Weir added.
