Samaritan attacked
A Good Samaritan went to investigate after he saw a man lying in a close in Perth city centre, covered in blood.
But boozed-up Christopher Taylor became aggressive and started shouting: “Let’s see how hard you are, then.”
The 25-year-old, of Catmoor Avenue, Scone, then lashed out at Elliot Stradding, punching him on the back of the head.
The accused was spared a jail sentence when he appeared for sentence at Perth Sheriff Court.
Instead, he will have to complete 130 hours of unpaid work - and will also be supervised for the next nine months.
He admitted the assault on Mr Stradding, which took place in Perth’s Scott Street on September 27 last year.
A not guilty plea was accepted to a second charge of punching Greggor Christie on the head.
The victim was taken to Perth Royal Infirmary but was allowed home a short time later, the court was told.
When traced and questioned by police about the attack, Taylor replied: “I don’t have any recollection. I can only apologise.”
Depute fiscal Tina Dickie said that Mr Stradding had been on a night out with friends that evening.
Shortly before midnight, they were walking along Scott Street when they noticed the accused lying in the close
Moments later, he was punched on the head.
Solicitor David Holmes said his client had sustained a broken nose after he had been “set upon earlier”.
The lawyer added: “When he got up, he thought the same people were involved. Thankfully there were no injuries suffered.”
Since January, he had stopped taking alcohol and was now “living a sensible family life.”
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis gave Taylor six months to complete the Community Payback Order, imposed as an alternative to a jail term.
A cell at Perth Prison was filled with thick black smoke after an inmate deliberately set fire to his bedding.
Perth Sheriff Court was told that 39-year-old David Thomson started the blaze because he “wanted out” of the jail’s C Hall.
The alarm at the Edinburgh Road prison was activated shortly before 6am after officers detected “the smell of acrid smoke coming through ducts”.
Depute fiscal Bill Kermode The trial of two old-age pensioners, accused of threatening people at a top Perthshire hotel has been delayed until the autumn.
The pair - 71-year-old Robert Fergus and his 68-year-old wife Ruth - are said to have been responsible for a series of incidents at the MacDonald Hotel, Kinloch Rannoch, on February 7 this year.
They were to have faced trial on June 5 but that has now peen put back until September 6.
It is alleged that they repeatedly threatened violence to three people Scott and Marcelene Glen and Tomasz Baraonnski - at the hotel while in possession of a pair of scissors.
They are also said to have wilfully or recklessly smashed glass pane doors in the up-market establishment - and then caused extensive damage to computers, servers and phone lines by cutting cables.
Ruth Fergus also faced a further charge of assaulting Scott Glen by seizing him by the face.
Her husband further denied driving his car with almost double the legal alcohol limit on the B846 Kinloch Rannoch-Tummel Bridge road, near Tummel Bridge, the same day.
His breath reading is said to have been 43 microgrammes - in excess of the legal limit of 22.
A fifth charge also alleged that the husband and wife, of Balcomie Crescent, Troon, had the scissors in their possession.
The couple had a fresh preliminary hearing scheduled for August 17.