Ullapool barroom brawl lands Ayrshire man in Highland court dock

A North Ayrshire man who moved to the Highlands on the advice of his father to help him stay out of trouble ended up in a barroom brawl with locals in a Wester Ross fishing village.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard that the fight involving 22-year-old Corey Wason of Ritchie Street, West Kilbride spilled over from the Arch Inn in Ullapool on July 9 last year to Argyle Street and into the Caledonian Hotel.

Sentence had been deferred for a background report after Wason previously pleaded guilty to two charges of threatening or abusive behaviour and one of assaulting a man by repeatedly punching him on the head to his injury.

The court heard that it began with Wason uttering threats of violence, attempting to goad another into a fight while acting in an aggressive manner and shouting.

A second charge of threatening or abusive behaviour as the fight progressed into the early hours of involved Wason producing a bladed item, uttering further threats of violence, abusive, homophobic and derogatory remarks, engaging in a fight with others and refusing to desist his behaviour when instructed to do so.

Wason did not appear personally as he had another case calling in Kilmarnock but he had instructed defence solicitor Rory Gowans to accept the social worker's recommendation of a community-based disposal.

Mr Gowans told the court: "He got involved in an altercation with locals but he is looking to sort himself out. He had come north on the advice of his father to stay away from trouble."

Wason was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work and be under social work supervision for 18 months.