Fife man went ‘too far in retaliation’ after trio with weapons arrived

A man went “far too far in retaliation” after three men with weapons including a sword arrived at his home, a sheriff said on Tuesday.

Terence Dale, 60, pleaded guilty on the third day of a jury trial in March to assaulting one of the men to his severe injury. He admitted striking the man, Mark Higgins, on the head from behind, repeatedly punching him on the head, and striking him repeatedly with knives – all under provocation.

Dale, of Kirkcaldy, appeared for sentence at Falkirk Sheriff Court by video link from Perth Prison, where the court heard he had already served the equivalent of a fourmonth sentence on remand.

Solicitor Dewar Spence, defending, said Dale had been drawn into a “stramash” when the men arrived at his home in Cairns Street West. The incident occurred on March 12 2019.

Mr Spence said: “The Crown accepted that the weapons were brought to the house by the complainers, and were not the property of the accused. Mr Dale was in his house, minding his own business, and people seem to arrive and there appears to be a stramash.

“There was fighting, Mr Dale was involved in that, and somebody jumps out of a window having set fire to items within the household.”

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC said: “I have to say that after having listened to however many hours of evidence, the dynamic of what happened was if anything less clear than it was at the start of the trial.”

He said that the victim, Mr Higgins, had arrived with two men, one of whom was armed and was “clearly looking for trouble”.

Sheriff Gilchrist continued: “What wasn’t clear was how Mr Higgins ended up with a fractured eye socket, fractures to both wrists, and two very unpleasant slash wounds to his legs.”

He sentenced Dale to a restriction of liberty order, requiring him to wear a tag and remain at home under curfew between 7pm and 7am daily. He told him that “significant injuries” had been inflicted on Mr Higgins.

He said: “But the severity of the injury makes it clear that you went far too far in retaliation.”