Thug tied up and tortured flatmate in sadistic attack

A thug attacked his Aberdeen flatmate and tied him up before pouring boiling liquid over him and throwing washing powder into his eyes.

Alexander McDonald had only known his victim for a matter of days when a row over drugs escalated rapidly and became a disturbing, drawn-out assault.

The 21-year-old rained punches on the man before tying his hands behind his back and continuing the violent assault.

After dousing him in an unknown liquid, McDonald untied the terrified man and ordered him to strip naked and battered him with a frying pan.

McDonald’s victim’s suffering was still far from over as he then had washing powder thrown in his eyes and boiling liquid poured over him from a kettle.

Fiscal depute David Rogers told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the horrifying incident happened at an address at Regent Court, Aberdeen, on April 30 last year.

He explained the men had not been known to each other prior to moving in together on April 26.

The incident began when the man asked McDonald for crack cocaine and, in response, McDonald started shouting and punching him in the face.

Dazed, and with his eyes beginning to swell, the man, who was sitting on the sofa, felt his hands being tied together behind his back.

Mr Rogers told the court: “McDonald continued to punch the complainer as he sat tied up on the sofa.

“Then he approached him and poured an unknown liquid over the right-hand side of his face, neck and shoulder.

“After a time, the accused untied his wrists and told him to take off all of his clothes.

“Out of fear, the complainer removed his clothing.

“Whilst he stood naked in the living room, the accused repeatedly struck the complainer with a frying pan to the right side of the head and back.”

McDonald then told his victim to put his clothes back on and approached him with a box of washing powder which he proceeded to throw in the man’s eyes and over his head and torso.

While doing this, McDonald also poured an unknown boiling liquid from a kettle over the man, causing his skin to be scalded.

Eventually, the brutal attack came to an end and McDonald left the address, with his victim also leaving soon after to seek help.

The man managed to walk to Linksfield Court where someone, noting he was “obviously badly injured”, stopped him and called the emergency services.

He was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and treated for burns to his face, neck and shoulder, heavy swelling and bruising to his eyes and a fractured right cheekbone.

McDonald, a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to abduction and assault to severe injury.

Defence agent Liam Mcallister said: “Mr McDonald has pled guilty to an appalling act.

“His conduct and behaviour towards the complainer were utterly shameful.”

The solicitor said his client accepted that there was no alternative to a jail sentence available to the court.

However, he highlighted McDonald was just 20 years old at the time of the incident and had just one previous conviction.

Mr Mcallister said a court-ordered social work report revealed “troubling elements” of McDonald’s background.

Sheriff Graham Buchanan told McDonald: “This is plainly a very serious matter indeed.”

He ordered him to be jailed for 22 months, backdated to August 29 2023 when he was first remanded in custody.

The sheriff also imposed an 11-month supervised release order “to protect the public from serious harm following your release”.

The case was heard at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.