Jail warning for Alness offshore worker after head-butt attack in car park
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
An Alness offshore oil worker who walked up to a man in an Inverness car park and for no apparent reason head-butted him as he tried to buy a parking ticket, has been warned by a sheriff that he will be jailed for a year if he appears before him again.
Jamie Riley (37), of Coul Park, Alness, appeared for sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court on Thursday having admitted assault to injury committed on April 5 this year.
Fiscal depute Shay Treanor told the court that the victim Alessandro Guilliani was at the ticket machine trying to pay when Riley butted him causing him to fall to the ground.
Defence solicitor Neil Wilson said Riley had a record but he had been out of trouble for about 10 years.
He added: "Matters have gone wrong in his life," and explained that during Covid offshore workers were working longer spells and having to quarantine while travelling to and from work, and these quarantine places had alcohol.
He said Riley would be away from home for eight or nine weeks at a time and this caused his relationship to break up which caused him to turn to alcohol. Mr Wilson urged Sheriff Aitken to impose a community work order in place of custody.
Sheriff Aitken told Riley: "My first inclination was that jail would be inevitable. It is quite clear the problem is you, when you choose to crawl inside a bottle and you should do something about it or your going to lose your job and possibly your liberty.
And referring to Alness crimes often being dealt with at Tain Sheriff Court, the sheriff warned: "You have the misfortune to live in Alness, and I sit in Tain Sheriff Court.
"I will jail you for 12 months if you appear before me again."
Riley was ordered to carry out 200 hours community payback.
