Detention for teen after gang attack on Fife man

A 17-year-old thug, who was part of a gang which carried out a brutal attack on an innocent man in Rosyth, is behind bars.
The pair appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.The pair appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.
The pair appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

The victim, aged 41, was chased by the drunken youths, hit by bottles, knocked to the ground then punched and kicked.

The teenager, from the Leslie area – who cannot be named for legal reasons – appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

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He admitted that on November 30 at Viking Way, Rosyth, whilst acting with others, he assaulted a man by pursuing him, throwing bottles at him, caused him to fall to the ground and thereafter kicked him on the head and body and struck him on the head with a bottle, all to his severe injury.

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Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia said the incident occurred when the man’s wife challenged two youths who were moving her bin away from her home.

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“They just laughed at her and she said she would contact the police and the two youths walked towards a wooded area with the bin,” he added.

Her husband was told what had happened. He looked around the local area and saw a group of around 20 youths who had by now set the bin on fire.

They were consuming alcohol and the man contacted the police about their actions.

However, before officers could arrive the victim was attacked by a group of five or six youths who came running towards him with bottles.

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“They didn’t stop as they approached him and he turned to run away. He heard two bottles smashing and was knocked to the ground. He was then kicked on the body and head,” said the depute.

A female witness later told police she saw the man on the ground being kicked on the head by the accused.

The man got up but was then again chased and took refuge at an area he knew had CCTV.

His wife looked out of the window and saw her husband walking home unsteadily with his face covered in blood.

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The victim had a large cut in the back of his head and the wound was stapled when he was taken by ambulance to the Victoria Hospital.

After hearing the facts, Sheriff James MacDonald said it could have been treated by the Crown as an attempted murder.

Defence solicitor Danielle Varela said her client was already on a community payback order and was “doing well on it”.

“Except that he’s committed an unprovoked attack with a bottle on a stranger,” the sheriff pointed out.

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Sheriff MacDonald told the youth, “This is a truly appalling offence. You attacked a defenceless man as he lay on the ground.”

He further described the assault as “violent thuggery” and sentenced the youth to 200 days in detention.