A Dundee man who knocked his brother unconscious before saying: “He’s got blood coming from his ears, I hope he dies,” has been jailed for two years.
Bobbie Little repeatedly kicked brother Steven on the head, spattering blood on the floor and wall, after an argument over “the morality of abortion”, Dundee Sheriff Court heard.
Little told witnesses and police following the assault at Craigmount Road in September that he had “stamped” on his brother’s head.
Depute fiscal Douglas Wiseman told the court that Bobbie Little had been drinking at his brother’s house with two other witnesses when the two men started arguing and punches were exchanged.
The brothers left the living room and a couple of minutes later sounds of a disturbance, as if somebody was “banging or jumping on the floor”, were heard.
Mr Wiseman said: “The complainer was observed lying on the floor at the far end of the hallway and the accused kicking him in the head four or five times, causing the back of his head to hit a nearby wall.”
The court heard that Steven Little was unresponsive while he was being assaulted by his brother.
The two witnesses walked towards the brothers and saw that Steven Little’s face was covered in blood and there was blood on the laminated floor and wall.
As one of the women approached, Bobbie Little said: “He’s got blood coming from his ears.
“I hope he dies.”
Little left the flat and was seen later in the street by other witnesses, where he appeared to be “very angry”.
He shouted that he had “just stamped all over my brother’s head”, at which point the police were called.
Steven Little was later found by police “shivering” in his flat, with swelling to his eye, nose, cheekbone and jaw.
Mr Wiseman said: “During initial observations by ambulance staff, he rolled on to his left side and appeared to be in and out of consciousness.”
Little was later traced on South Road.
Mr Wiseman said: “Whilst within the waiting area at divisional police headquarters, the accused voluntarily admitted assaulting his brother at the locus and stated that (Steven Little) had punched him initially and he in turn retaliated and punched him and stamped on his head.”
Little, 27, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault to injury on his brother committed on September 18 at a flat on Craigmount Road, Dundee.
Emma Hannay, defending, said: “He has a record for analagous offending in the past and he’s realistic regarding what’s going to happen to him.
“He accepts he must have said ‘I hope he dies’ but he tells me he didn’t mean it. He was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and that had an impact on his behaviour.
“His brother has visited him in prison and all has been forgiven, despite the nature of the assault.
“They argued over the morality of abortion and this is what came of it.”
Jailing Little for two years, Sheriff Tom Hughes told him: “This is a very serious matter and your solicitor has acknowledged that, because of your record, a custodial sentence is inevitable.”