Grantown man jailed after breaking skateboarder's jaw in Inverness street attack
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A Grantown man has been jailed for eight months for "a vicious and unprovoked assault" on a skateboarder in Inverness city centre two years ago.
Darren Stewart broke the man's jaw in two places with a single punch and his victim required surgery to insert metal bars to repair it, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
The 25-year-old's co-accused, Callum Emery of Waldshut Road, Lewes avoided jail despite Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald criticising his comments in a background report which had been called for previously.
She sentenced Emery, who had started the altercation by calling the man "a f*****" to a year's supervision and 125 hours of community work, which he had told social workers he didn't want to do.
The sheriff remarked on his lack of remorse for Stewart's victim and his refusal to pay the man compensation.
"You were not taking this seriously," she said. "It was hateful what you did and your attitude absolutely stinks. You started all this."
Defence solicitor David Patterson apologised on his client's behalf and said he was "immature".
The court heard that Stewart, of Beachen Court, and his 23-year-old companion had left a licensed premises at about 10.30pm on May 19, 2021 and saw the skateboarder in Church Street.
Fiscal depute Shamielah Ghafar told the court that Emery had called the man "a f*****" and was challenged about it. "Stewart then came along and punched the man in the face, then they ran off," Ms Ghafar added.
The victim was taken to A&E at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and it was discovered he had a broken jaw in two places. He required to have an operation in Aberdeen.
Stewart's solicitor advocate Clare Russell said: "This was initiated by his co-accused and concluded by my client. He misread the situation and saw the victim pick up his skateboard. He mistook it as a threat."
Sheriff Macdonald told Stewart: "This was a vicious and unprovoked assault. The harm you caused was significant and there is no alternative to custody."
