A young man celebrating his 21st birthday was left with a smashed jaw after being subjected to a horrific attack with a metal bat for calling a dreadlocked man “Bob Marley”.
Michael Gray took offence to being compared to the reggae singer and took revenge several hours later.
He jumped out of a car as Josh Shaw walked home from a nightclub with his partner and viciously attacked him with the bat, knocking him unconscious.
Gray, 39, of Dyce Way, Glenrothes, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court and admitted the assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement on June 22 last year.
‘I’m going to cave his skull in’
Depute fiscal Sarah Smith said the victim was out with friends for his landmark birthday and they were initially in Pinkertons pub in Glenrothes.
Gray was also there with friends and his first exchange with the victim was asking if he had put an Oasis song on the jukebox.
As Gray was leaving the premises Mr Shaw said: “See you later Bob Marley.”
Gray thought it was a reference to his dreadlocks and was heard saying: “I’m going to cave his skull in.”
The depute said the two groups were later in Styx nightclub and Mr Shaw again spoke to Gray, who angrily warned “he was not the type of person to have a laugh with and he did not know who he was messing with”.
At around 1.20am Mr Shaw and his partner left the nightclub and were walking home when a car pulled up next to them on Caskiebarron Road, with Gray in the front passenger seat.
He wanted a fight but Mr Shaw apologised and said he had not meant any harm and the comment had been a joke.
As Mr Shaw and his partner walked away, Gray got out the car holding a black metal bat, which he used to strike the victim repeatedly on the head and body.
Mr Shaw was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground.
Prison warning
Passers-by called an ambulance but a police car arrived and took him to the hospital.
The victim’s partner managed to video part of the incident, which included Gray making death threats and a black Vauxhall Zafira driving off.
This led to Gray being traced and arrested.
Mr Shaw required surgery a few days later on his broken jaw.
He had a metal plate and screws inserted to hold it together.
The fiscal said he has lost feeling in the part of his chin which was struck and has been told this will never return. He also required stitches to a cut lip.
Sheriff James Williamson told Gray: “This was an outrageous, unprovoked and pre-planned assault on a young man causing him significant injury.”
He called for reports and continued bail until sentencing on April 1, warning Gray a jail term is likely.
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