A 21-year-old engineer punched a student and broke his jaw after the victim confronted him for “skipping the queue” for chips.
Thomas Forster, of Seagate, left his victim Matthew Reynolds, 24, unconscious and lying in the street after he punched him and ran off.
Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court Forster and Mr Reynolds were strangers to each other prior to the incident.
The fiscal said both were at Dundee University Student Union, Balfour Street, with friends consuming alcohol on September 17 last year.
She said: “About 2.30am the accused’s friends joined the queue to purchase hot food inside the Union whilst the accused went to the toilet.
“The complainer and his friend were behind the accused’s friends in the queue.
“Upon his return, the accused asked his friend to get him some chips.
“The complainer took umbrage at the accused apparently skipping the queue and grabbed the accused by the collar.
“Both parties were separated by a member of staff. The accused apologised for his behaviour.”
Both parties were reminded their actions were being recorded on CCTV, and Mr Reynolds and his friends left the Student Union, followed by Forster and his friends a short time later.
The fiscal added: “The complainer does not recall what happened next. All he states he can remember is waking up on Balfour Street with a paramedic holding his head.
“The complainer’s friends, who were walking ahead of him, heard a thud and turned around to see the complainer lying on the ground unconscious and the accused walking away quickly.
“Members of staff came to the assistance of the complainer, who was unconscious for about a minute, and an ambulance was called for him.”
He was taken to Ninewells Hospital and received treatment to a broken jaw, chipped tooth and cut on his head.
Police traced Forster the following day after reviewing CCTV. During a police interview he admitted being “fairly drunk” and said when he saw Mr Reynolds he “felt angry and swung for him”.
He said he did it out of “anger and drunken stupidity” and ran off because he was “fearful he had done something terrible”.
Officers noted Forster was almost tearful and felt “horrendous”.
Forster admitted that on September 17 last year at Balfour Street, Dundee, he assaulted Matthew Reynolds by punching him on the head, causing him to fall to the ground, whereby he was rendered unconscious, all to his severe injury.
Sentence was deferred until July 1.
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