A Royal Marine who is accused of being part of a street brawl caused the collapse of a trial at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday after it emerged he is serving in the Mediterranean.
Marcus Julian Christians,24, faces being arrested when he returns from thehumanitarian mission understood to be connected to the migrant crisis after Sheriff Gregor Murray issued a warrant.
Christians is one of four marines from RM Condor near Arbroath who are accused of engaging in a fight andcommitting a breach of the peace on the town’s Grant Road on January 19 last year.
He is also accused ofrepeatedly punching andkicking a man to the head to his severe injury on the same date.
The trial date had been set around when the marines would be in the country but it emerged that Christians had recently changed unit.
His non-appearance meant 15 witnesses who had attended court in anticipation of giving evidence were sent away.
Defence agent Ian Flynn said he had only learned that Christians would not attend the trial on Monday.
“As far as I was aware all four (marines) would be here today,” Mr Flynn told the court.
Sheriff Murray reluctantly postponed the trial untilDecember 21, saying:“Christians has pled not guilty and is entitled to a trial.
“There may be cogentmilitary reasons forChristians to be deployed but those responsible fordeploying him have notinformed the court, or, if theresponsibility lay withChristians, he has not informed his lawyer.
“With very great reluctance we will set a new date and I will issue a warrant for Christians.I will leave it to the procurator fiscal’s discretion whether he is arrested or invited to attend.”
The other three marines Kevin Hurley, 27, Oliver Bale, 21, and Sam Neasham, 21 whose address was given as RM Condor, maintained their not guilty pleas to the charge of engaging in the fight.
Three other men from Arbroath have previously been sentenced for their part in the incident. Callum Robb, 19, of Brechin Road, Zac Archer, 21, of Abbotsford Road, and Kellon Lyons, 20, of Bellevue Gardens, were each fined £400.