A witness feared a schoolboy would kick his victim to death in a “sickening” attack in Dundee, a court has heard.
Lennon Bruce pummelled his teenage rival as he lay on the ground, before delivering a devastating final blow when he tried to get back to his feet.
Bruce faces being locked up for the brutal assault in Dundee’s Spey Drive, which left his terrified victim with a shattered jaw.
The 18-year-old, who was just 15 at the time of the offence, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted severely injuring the teenager in the attack on November 16, 2018.
Sheriff William Wood told Bruce he had done himself “no favours” by booting his 15-year-old victim in his face while he was “at his weakest and most vulnerable”.
Witness left ‘sickened’
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney said there had been a falling out between the victim and one of Bruce’s relatives.
Days before the assault, Bruce messaged the teenager on Snapchat and warned him to stay away from the family member.
Mr Sweeney said: “At about 5pm on November 16, the complainer was in Spey Drive.
“He saw the accused with two other youths, who have not been traced.
“The accused saw the complainer and crossed the street, grabbed him by the jumper and punched him in the face.
“He continued punching him in the face and the complainer staggered backwards.
“He clipped the pavement kerb and fell over.”
‘You’re getting lifted for that’
Mr Sweeney said: “A witness who was driving along Spey Drive at the time saw the accused raining punches down on the complainer and she thought to herself that he was going to kill him.
“She stopped her car and tooted her horn in an attempt to distract the accused.”
Mr Sweeney said both Bruce and his victim stood up, while the two other youngsters watched on.
“The witness saw the complainer – who had not retaliated but had been trying to protect his face – fall to the ground.
“She was worried about the safety of the complainer.
“She called out her window: ‘Stop it, that’s enough’.
“The accused was now kicking the complainer in the head. The driver got out of her car and walked over.
“The accused then started walking away from the complainer, who was lying on the ground.
“But as he tried to sit up, the complainer turned around, walked back and kicked him in the face.
“This caused the complainer’s head to swing back.”
Mr Sweeney said: “The witness was sickened by what she saw.
“She shouted at the accused: ‘You are getting lifted for that’.”
Emergency X-ray
She went to the aid of the victim – who cannot be named for legal reasons as he is only 17 – who was “conscious, but moaning in pain”.
Another woman ran to his aid and took the teenager to A&E at Ninewells Hospital.
He was x-rayed and found to have a broken jaw.
“Pins have now been removed from his jaw and the complainer has now made a full recovery,” said Mr Sweeney.
Bruce admitted assaulting his victim, seizing him by the clothing, repeatedly punching and kicking him on the head and body to his severe injury.
Sentence was deferred until next month for background reports.
Solicitor Ross Donnelly said Bruce, who has no criminal record, had been well behaved since the assault.
“He knows what he may be facing in terms of ultimate disposal,” he said.
Sheriff Wood told Bruce: “Clearly this was an assault of some duration, and rather than leave matters as they were, you returned and delivered what was possibly the blow that did most of the damage.
“You kicked (your victim) in the head when he was at his weakest and most vulnerable.
“You did not do yourself any favours by doing that and I have to now take the view whether detention will be an appropriate disposal.”
Bruce will return to court to learn his fate on June 7.
