Jailed for punching smoker in lay-by

A Perth man who carried out an unprovoked attack on a young man in a lay-by was jailed for 56 days - and ordered to pay the victim £500 compensation.

But the prison term imposed on 22-year-old Callum Forbes was backdated to March 24, the date he was remanded in custody for a background report after failing to keep three appointments with a social worker for its preparation.

The accused, of Viewfield Place, admitted punching Dawid Armatys on the head and knocking him to the ground, to his injury, in Perth’s Crieff Road on June 6, 2020.

He also pled guilty to pushing his partner in the body in Pomarium Street, Perth, on August 20 last year.

Depute fiscal Andrew Harding told Perth Sheriff Court that Mr Armatys was in a lay-by smoking a cigarette when the accused punched him to the back of the head, causing him to fall forward.

He suffered a lump above his right eye, as well as cuts in that area and also one to the left side of his nose.

The second incident happened about 11.40pm as police were searching for a female in relation to a“separate matter”.

Solicitor Billy Somerville said the victim had described his injuries in a statement to police as“a sore head, a sore eye and a sore nose”.

He added:“Mr Armatys was taken to PRI but no treatment was needed.”

Sheriff Lindsay imposed a backdated prison sentence on the first assault.

“You have already served that sentence,”he explained.

“But the significance of it is that now you have a custodial sentence on your record and, because you are over 21, and if there is further offending, the sheriff doesn’t require to get a background report.

“As they say in Monopoly, you can go directly to jail - you don’t pass go.”

Ordering him to also pay compensation, with the first £40 a month instalment delayed for three months, Sheriff Foulis said: “This was an unprovoked assault.

“You caused the man some injuries and you should pay for that.”

Forbes was put on the Right Track scheme, designed to keep youngsters on the straight and narrow, for the assault on his partner.

His progress will be reviewed on August 18.

Sheriff Foulis decided against a Non-Harassment Order on the accused after hearing that his partner had“no wish”for such an order to be granted.