Man sentenced for club attack which left victim unconscious

Lochore man, 18, fined £1,000 after breaking man’s jaw with a single punch outside club following brawl

A Fife man who broke his victim’s jaw with a single punch following a nightclub brawl has been ordered to pay him £1,000 in compensation.

Masen McLean, pictured, was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court yesterday after admitting the brutal attack which happened outside a venue in the town on October 8 last year.

The 18-year-old had been thrown out of Kitty’s nightclub by security staff in the early hours of the morning after getting involved in an argument inside.

He was standing outside the building near his victim before delivering a single blow to the left side of his head which knocked him unconscious.

A large-scale brawl involving several partygoers broke out as a result of the incident and McLean was arrested a short time later.

The court was told how McLean’s victim, Alan Stevens, later had to undergo an operation to have a metal plate fitted due to the extent of his injury.

McLean, from Lochore, previously admitted assault to severe injury at an earlier hearing.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC yesterday asked: “Is is the position of the Crown that this was an unprovoked and unexplained assault on a stranger?” Depute fiscal Ronnie Hay said it was. Defence solicitor Michelle Renton said her client had been arguing inside the nightclub before being asked to leave.

She added that he was a first time offender and that the one punch, which was caught on CCTV, was an isolated incident.

She added: “I don’t think he is someone that is going to be seen back in this court again.”

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC said: “The position here is that apart from your age, you would be going to prison for this.

“It is not acceptable for people to engage in violence outside nightclubs especially when it results in severe injury.

“It has been a while since I have heard about Kitty’s nightclub in this court but there is far too much trouble outside nightclubs in general.

“I am, however, persuaded that there is a direct alternative to custody available but it’s going to require a significant degree of punishment.”

McLean was made subject to a supervision order and told to complete 180 hours of unpaid work within nine months.

The position here is that apart from your age, you would be going to prison for this