Buddhists come to blows over a cup of tea at Highlands retreat

A weekend retreat for a group of Buddhists from Glasgow ended up in violence after a row over a cup of tea.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard how Raymond Storrie sustained a split lip in an incident outside a remote rural cottage in Nairnshire.

Then as he was being taken to hospital for treatment in a car down a farm track he opened the door and threatened to kill the man who had caused his injury.

Robert Jenner, (50), of Dumbarton Road in Glasgow denied assaulting Mr Storrie on May 9 at Hazlewood, Lakenbuie by repeatedly punching him on the head to his injury.

In evidence Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood heard the two men travelled north with some friends in a camper van for the event which was attended by nearly 20 people.

But on the morning of May 9, Mr Storrie got upset when Jenner took water from a kettle he was using to boil himself a cup of tea.

Mr Storrie admitted during that incident which happened about 9.30am he was verbally abusive towards Jenner.

Later the same day in the evening Mr Storrie said he was outside the house finishing a cup of tea when Jenner came out the front door.

Words were exchanged and Storrie claimed Jenner was ‘confrontational’.

He said he went to walk away when Jenner took hold of him by the arm and pushed him against a trestle and punched him on the head a number of times.

Mr Storrie said he then hit Jenner with the cup he was holding but he continued to punch him on the face and head.

Mr Storrie denied in cross examination by defence solicitor Raymond McIlwham that he in fact attacked Jenner and struck him with the cup.

He said he had numerous swellings about his head and his top lip was ripped.

He went inside and was taken to a shower to clean up then was taken to hospital at Nairn and then on to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness where he had eight or nine stitches inserted in the wound.

Mr Storrie, who said he had known Jenner for about eight years, said he was not aware of any animosity before that day.

Questioned by Mr McIlwham he denied telling Jenner to ‘f... off’ when he asked to speak to him outside the house in the evening. He also denied punching Jenner.

He admitted, however, as he was being driven to hospital by companions opening the car door and shouting ‘your dead Jenner’ as he passed him on the farm track leading from the cottage.

Mr McIlwham said in an interview with police on May 10, Mr Storrie told officers: "I am a bit intellectual sometimes and he is dyslexic and I feel his ego-driven insecurity comes out sometimes."

Mr Storrie denied that he had lost his composure and struck Jenner then when Jenner struck him back he (Storrie) struck) him with the cup.

Andrew Newlands, (44), a self employed joiner of Hazlewood, Lakenbuie said his home was not a Buddhist retreat but there was a ‘gathering of men following the Buddhist path’ whom he had invited to his home to spend the weekend together.

He did not witness what happened outside the house in the evening but saw Mr Storrie come into the front door with blood on his face.

When he drove Mr Storrie to the hospital he said they passed Jenner on the way and he was physically shaking and seemed shocked and had blood on his face.

In considering his verdict Sheriff Fleetwood said he had to ask himself how he could be sure what happened outside and he returned a verdict of ‘not proven’.

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