Fine and community service for cutting neck of Commonwealth Games hero with knife
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A FORESTRY worker who cut one of Scotland’s Commonwealth Games heroes on the neck with a knife was ordered to pay him £500 compensation and ordered to carry out community service by a sheriff.
Lewis Murdoch from Inverness held the small knife, which was attached to a Swiss army credit card, against the neck of Jason MacLean causing a small cut.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard how Murdoch (24) of Belltown, Huntly Street, Inverness had been drinking in Nairn on Nairn Games day last year on August 18 and got separated from his friends.
Depute fiscal Roderick Urquhart told Sheriff David Hall: "There was some altercation. Mr MacLean, who was not present in that group, overheard the altercation and went to ask the accused what the problem was."
But Mr Urquhart said it appeared Murdoch put his arm round Mr MacLean’s neck and held a knife to his neck.
The fiscal said he understood Mr MacLean, who was out for the evening with some friends, had poor eyesight and was disabled.
"Mr MacLean realised it was a knife and went still. The accused let go and was seen to run off."
The fiscal said there was a small cut to Mr MacLean’s neck and it was bleeding.
The fiscal said Mr MacLean, who was a disabled athlete, could not give a description of the accused because of his poor eyesight but his friends did.
He was later traced and detained.
Eighteen year-old Mr MacLean became a local hero when he came 5th in the final of the T37 100 metres for athletes with disabilities at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year.
Murdoch admitted assaulting Mr MacLean with a knife to his injury and possession of the knife in a public place in Nairn High Street on August 18.
Murdoch was in possession of a Swiss army credit card attached to which was a small pen knife blade which slid in and out of the wallet.
Sentence had been deferred until Tuesday for criminal justice social work reports.
Solicitor Diane McFarlane told the court Murdoch was a first offender and the knife was a multi-tool which he used for work.
"At the time he felt he was likely to be assaulted and took out the small blade to protect himself.
"He had been out with friends in Nairn for the Games, got lost and was waiting on the High Street attempting to get a lift."
Ms McFarlane when he was approached by two young men and though there was the possibility of confrontation. Half an hour later he was approached by Mr MacLean.
"He feels if he had not been drinking this would not have happened. He had taken the small blade out of the card to protect himself."
Ms McFarlane said he was ‘filled with horror’ by the injury he cause but was regarded by social workers as a low risk of re-offending.
Sheriff Hall sentenced him to a community payback order of 150 hours unpaid work as well as a £500 compensation order to be paid to his victim.
