A manager at a Kinross hotel stabbed a chef with a kitchen knife during their staff night out.
Scott Lowe (43), then duty manager at the Green Hotel, got into a drunken brawl with Christiaan Opperman in the hotel courtyard on April 29. The pair had been part of a larger group, drinking together for a number of hours before there was an altercation.
Depute fiscal Charmaine Cole told Perth Sheriff Court the atmosphere soured at around 10.30pm, and the chef left shortly after with his partner.
At midnight, Lowe and another colleague left the bar to go to a party but, after spotting the complainer outside, the father-of-one decided to arm himself with a knife from the hotel kitchen.
Ms Cole said: ”He put the knife in his back pocket and continued to the party, but was then approached by the complainer, who was aggressive.
”The complainer ran towards the accused and punched him in the face and they then began fighting. In the course of the fight the accused used the knife and the complainer sustained a total of six wounds.”
Ms Cole said his injuries included two stab wounds to his upper body, a stab wound to his shoulder and his elbow and two ”superficial” lacerations to his legs. The man was taken to hospital to receive stitches but was released after treatment.
Police were called and Lowe, of Churchill Road, handed himself over to be arrested. In response to caution and charge, he told officers: ”He came for me first.”
Solicitor Jamie Baxter, defending, said his client was ”horrified” that he had been involved in the incident and deeply regretted his actions.
Mr Baxter said the ”respected” 43-year-old, who had worked at the hotel for more than 13 years, had only been released from Murray Royal Hospital a fortnight before the attack after attempting suicide.
Mr Baxter said: ”He had been under considerable pressures at work as a result of redundancies caused by the economic downturn. He had been given extra duties and was working extra hours and just wasn’t coping.
”In 2010 he had also just discovered the identity of his father, and had met with him a few times, but then his father died last October. On top of all that his marital circumstances were heading downhill fast and he and his wife separated in February this year.”
He added: ”This all culminated in him drinking to excess and against that backdrop he attempted suicide. He was released from Murray Royal on April 8 and was on considerable medication.
”In the cold light of day, Mr Lowe is very aware of the poor decisions he made. The first was to stay out that night and the second was to pick up the knife.
”On the way to the party he was fearful that the complainer, with whom he had history, was going to be there so he went to the kitchen and put the knife in his back pocket. It was only a matter of minutes later that the incident took place.
”As the depute fiscal said, the complainer ran towards the accused, punching him in the face. The men then started fighting and during the course of the fight the accused took out the knife and stabbed the complainer.”
Mr Baxter said Lowe’s intention had been to ”ward off” the complainer and prevent any fight from starting.
He added: ”He is very thankful that the injuries sustained by the complainer were not too serious.”
Lowe admitted attacking and severely injuring his colleague, Mr Opperman, on April 29 at an earlier appearance.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher warned Lowe that he faces a jail term but further deferred sentence until January 11 for a psychological report.