Thugs destroyed a Raith Rovers fan’s young life in a vicious derby day attack in Dunfermline.
Mackenzie King, 21, and Callum Beautyman, 18, battered the teenager at a bus stop near Halbeath Road following a match at East End Park on January 2 last year.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard that the then-17-year-old was taken to hospital with concussion after the attack, which continues to have a devastating effect a year later.
A victim impact statement revealed he still suffers nightmares and flashbacks, missed school exams and gave up playing football.
His statement said: “The physical injuries have healed but I don’t think the mental impact will ever heal.
“It will live with me forever as I genuinely believed they wanted to kill me, as they said the words.”
Battered to the ground
King and Beautyman appeared in the dock for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to the assault to injury, while acting with others.
Prosecutor Annie Henderson told the court that after the game – a 2-1 win for Raith – away fans were making their way to Dunfermline’s Queen Margaret train station and were approached by a group of teenagers.
Ms Henderson said King made a comment similar to “f**king Raith Rovers fans” and Beautyman tried to punch a male in the other group but failed to make contact.
The fiscal depute said King and Beautyman then “picked up” their victim and threw him to the ground, where he “landed on his head”.
Ms Henderson continued: “(The victim) remained on the ground, curled up and making efforts to protect his face.
“At this time Mr King stands over (him) and punches him to the left hand side of the torso.
“(He) is knocked to the ground and cannot remember what happened but recalls curling up and protecting his face while being kicked by a person to the head and body”.
The fiscal depute said the victim was eventually able to stand up and escape as Beautyman landed a “final kick” to his back.
Hearing aid destroyed
The incident was reported to police when the bleeding teenager got to the train station.
He took the train to Kirkcaldy and his father took him to hospital.
He had concussion and grazing and bruising.
Ms Henderson noted the youngster is registered deaf, with no hearing in his right ear and only 20% hearing in his left.
His hearing aid was “damaged beyond repair” in the attack.
Prosecutors accepted not guilty pleas from Beautyman and King to a second charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on the same date.
A third accused, who is under 18, had originally faced both charges but not guilty pleas were accepted.
Devastating impact
The attack drew widespread condemnation from across the Scottish footballing community at the time and video footage of the incident was shared on social media.
Sheriff Susan Duff read out the victim impact statement in which he said the incident has “affected me massively” and he still cannot sleep due to nightmares and flashbacks.
He says he avoids going out on his own as he is anxious and scared and “cannot get the voices out of my head”.
The court heard he also suffers from panic attacks if he sees large groups of people having a confrontation.
He said he had to give up playing football due to issues with his knee and lost confidence in one-on-one situations because he would freeze and panic.
He could not work at his part-time job he did not feel comfortable around people he did not know.
A few weeks after the attack he was also due to sit exams but due to being unable to attend school through lost confidence, did not do so.
He also avoided doing a college course because it was in Dunfermline and he felt he could not go back there on his own.
Sentencing
Sentencing, Sheriff Duff told the pair it was a “nasty, violent assault” and they should be “utterly ashamed”.
“You attacked that school pupil with disabilities as part of a mob and left him lying on the ground with hearing aids broken.
“You must have seen that.
“I appreciate you are both young and I won’t impose custodial sentences, purely because you are young people but you deserve custodial sentences.”
Sheriff Duff gave Beautyman, of Provost Mill Way, Kelty, an eight-month curfew order, running from 7pm to 7am daily.
She handed King, of Hillview, Oakley, 240 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody.
They were each handed a three-year football banning order.
Defence lawyer Russel McPhate, said King – who was previously in the Army but was discharged due to mental health issues – wrote an apology letter to his victim, though it is unclear if it reached him.
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