Forfar man accused of assaulting lottery winner in town pub

A man accused of assaulting an Angus lottery winner in a pub said he will enter a special plea of selfdefence.

Marshall Baer, of Archies Park in Forfar, is accused of assaulting £10.3 million National Lottery winner John Bowman and two women at the Burns Bar in Forfar on January 8.

Baer maintained his not guilty pleas to the charges of assault and also charges relating to a breach of the peace and careless driving on the same night, when he appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday.

Defence solicitor Nick Markowski told the court a special defence of self-defence in relation to Mr Bowman will be submitted when the case goes to trial on March 17.

Baer, 61, is accused of assaulting a former partner at the pub on January 8, pushing her and causing her to strike her head on a wall, assaulting another woman by pushing her, and assaulting Mr Bowman by repeatedly kicking him and pushing him to the ground.

Baer denies behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at the pub, shouting and swearing at the first woman.

He also denies that on the same evening he drove without care or attention on the Dunnichen road between Forfar and Letham.

He is accused of driving at excessive speed, losing control at a bend, striking a pillar and causing the vehicle to overturn, damaging the vehicle and the pillar, and injuring himself.

Mr Markowski added: “In terms of the careless driving charge it is not disputed that the wall was damaged.”

Forfar father-of-two Mr Bowman scooped the huge National Lottery jackpot last April after purchasing a ticket at RS McColl on East High Street.

The 59-year-old celebrated the news by having a pint of beer in his local pub and was unveiled as the winner at a press conference in a five-star hotel near Glasgow.

Initially he thought he had won about £10,000 before he double checked the numbers at a friend’s house and realised he had scooped the jackpot.