A pair of Angus servicemen who got involved in an Arbroath bust-up with a champion Thai boxer have narrowly avoided a jail sentence.
Gordon Taylor and Aiden Parr were both based at the Condor home of 45 Commando, near the Angus town, when they went out for a drink in early February 2013 and ended up assaulting two men, the tip of one victim’s ear being sliced off after he was pushed against a railing inside a nightclub.
Sheriff Pino Di Emidio told the pair they had gone too far after provocation from one of the men who was beaten, but stopped short of ordering compensation payments to either of the victims.
Depute fiscal Joanne Scott told Forfar Sheriff Court the incident began in De Vito’s nightclub around 1.30am when complainer Daniel Mudie became involved in an argument with Parr.
The accused later approached him to apologise but was butted by Mr Mudie, who was immediately thrown out of the club by stewards.
Inside the premises, Parr was then hit twice from behind by an unknown person but the second complainer, James Riddle, was nearby when he turned round and the accused pushed him, causing him to fall against a metal rail.
The court heard the top of the victim’s right ear was sliced off as a result. It was found by club staff and packed in ice but surgeons had to trim off damaged tissue on the tip of the ear, leaving Mr Riddle permanently disfigured.
Parr was also then ejected from De Vito’s where he was again approached by the first victim, Mr Mudie, who suggested the pair “take this away from the cameras” to sort things out. The two men began to struggle and when Taylor saw this taking place, he kicked and punched Mr Mudie.
Taylor’s defence agent, Billy Rennie, said his client accepted he had overstepped the mark. He told the court Mr Mudie had a number of previous convictions, including assault and assault to severe injury and suggested he had been “intent on an argument or a fight that evening, come what may”.
He added: “Mudie had overheard someone say that they were an Italian core boxing champion, to which he stated ‘that doesn’t make you hard, I’m a Scottish Thai boxing champion’.”
Mr Rennie said Taylor, 30, of Redding, Falkirk, was an extremely highly-rated member of his battery at the Angus base and would also face forces disciplinary action as a result of the conviction.
Solicitor Ian Flynn, for 28-year-old Parr, of Widnes, Cheshire, said his client had now left the service and was working “seven days a week” to develop his successful landscaping business.
He said his client had not been sure it was Mr Riddle who punched him but the complainer was close when he turned round and unfortunately the push had led to the ear injury.
Sheriff Di Emidio said that notwithstanding the provocation in the case, both the accused had gone too far.
He imposed one-year community payback orders on each accused, with Taylor ordered to carry out 180 hours’ unpaid work and Parr 230 hours.