Man jailed for attacking neighbour

AN OBAN man has been jailed for nine months for assaulting his new neighbour who complained about noise.

Daniel William Kelly, 26, of 41 Rhuvaal Road, Oban, pleaded guilty to assaulting a man on that street on April 16 by repeatedly seizing and punching him in the head to his injury.

Procurator fiscal Eoin McGinty told Oban Sheriff Court on Tuesday April 25: ‘The accused only recently moved into a flat with his girlfriend. The residents downstairs were concerned about the noise coming from above. One of the residents went up to ask them to turn the music down.

‘There began an argument. The accused grabbed the complainer and punched him in his face, causing him to fall to the ground. The complainer got to his feet. He was punched once again in the face.

‘He made his way back to the flat and called the police. The complainer had a chip to his front tooth and damage to dental work. The estimated cost is £300.’

‘[ Kelly] has had a number of custodial sentences,’ his defence agent, Jane McLaren, told the court.

‘Things got out of control when he decided to come off methadone. This seems to have been the catalyst for Mr Kelly coming back into the court system.’

Taking into account Kelly’s previous convictions and his early plea, Sheriff Ruth Anderson QC sentenced him to nine months in prison, backdated to April 19.