A thug who repeatedly struck a man in the head with a brick in Glenrothes has been jailed for 14 months.
Dale Cowan, 31, previously pled guilty to the assault at an address in Tarves Place on December 1.
He admitted repeatedly striking his victim on the head with a brick, pursuing him and threatening him with violence.
Cowan appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link from prison for sentencing.
Brick attack
Prosecutor Jamie Hilland told the court previously the victim was sitting at home with a friend watching TV when Cowan came to the door with a female.
Both were under the influence and shouting about stealing property from them.
They had known each other for years and were not on good terms.
When the victim opened the door, Cowan struck him over the head with a brick “repeatedly”.
The man ran downstairs to a friend’s home and Cowan came to the door, shouting, as police were called.
As Cowan walked away, the complainer started to go back home but Cowan turned and chased him into his flat.
The fiscal depute said: “He (Cowan) then walked down the street shouting that he was going to ‘kick f*** out of’ the complainer.”
Mr Hilland said the man suffered a small cut to his left ear and a lump to his head and declined medical attention.
Police traced Cowan later that day at his mother’s address and after being charged, he said: “He launched a brick at me, I landed it back”.
Took law into own hands
Defence lawyer Adam Scott said Cowan had learned hours before the incident his mother had been assaulted and taken advantage of financially by the complainer.
The solicitor conceded he is unsure if this had been prosecuted.
Mr Scott said substance misuse was a factor in Cowan’s offending and noted his last conviction for violence was from 2016.
Sheriff Robert More told Cowan there is no appropriate alternative to custody and condemned him for taking the law into his own hands.
The sheriff said: “Whatever the background, the reality is you went along to where you knew the complainer would be and while you did so, armed yourself with a brick… then hid that from sight so he would not see it and used it repeatedly by striking on the head.”
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