Severed thumb was saved by surgeons, court told

A court has been told how surgeons saved a man’s thumb with skin grafts after half of it was bitten off in a fight in Kingussie.

The fracas followed a birthday party retired Glasgow fireman Peter Ross attended.

He travelled to the Highlands to celebrate his mother’s 68th birthday with his son Nathan, an Edinburgh bar manager.

But the pair got caught up in a brawl with locals as they walked home after the celebrations.

Christopher Fraser, (28), of Royal Court, Kingussie denies assaulting Mr Ross by biting him on the hand and striking him on the head to his severe injury and permanent impairment on November 27, 2011.

He also denies assaulting his son Nathan Ross by repeatedly punching him on the head and body, throwing him to the ground and seizing him by the body all to his injury.

Fraser has lodged a special defence of self defence.

Mr Ross and his son had celebrated with a meal and champagne with family members earlier in the evening at the Silverfjord Hotel.

Mr Ross Snr had gone on ahead with a neighbour about 1am when his son began speaking to some local men he knew.

But then a passer-by told him his son was in trouble. In evidence he told how he pulled Fraser off his son who was on the ground and got him into a headlock.

"It was cold and I had a few drinks but I could feel the pain as he bit into my hand."

He said it wasn’t until the police arrived and he was he realised half his thumb was missing.

"I was horrified."

Mr Ross Snr said police took him to Aviemore Medical Centre where a swab was placed on his thumb. When he asked police to take him to Raigmore he was told he would have to make his own way there and paid £75 for a taxi.

He was detained overnight at Raigmore and had an operation the next day.

Surgeons in Glasgow gave him the option of removing the thumb or having a skin graft which he was told may not be successful.

"I didn’t want a stub so went for the other option and it’s been fairly successful."

He said he was also left with a fractured jaw after Fraser punched him when he released him from a headlock and that injury left him with numbness in his face which he still suffers from.

Mr Ross said the day he was released from Raigmore he went back to Aviemore police station. "They charged me with breach of the peace which I was absolutely horrified with."

But he said he had never heard any more about it until appearing in court to give evidence at Fraser’s trial.

He said he felt ‘humiliated’ as he had to leave the police station in his underpants and his socks because police kept his clothes as evidence. His father picked him up.

"I went to help Nathan, got involved in a brawl. I would say I was fighting to save my life. I felt I was a victim and still feel very aggrieved about what happened that night."

He denied suggestions by defence solicitor Willie Young that they followed Fraser to his flat and had ‘given him a right good kicking’ in a car park.

Mr Young said Fraser’s had no shirt left on his back but Mr Ross said he (Fraser) must have torn it off.

The trial continues.

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