INVERNESS SHERIFF COURT: 'One amazing punch' leaves man severely injured and permanently impaired
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An Inverness man carried out two brutal attacks in three days of March madness last year and attempted to murder one of his victims.
In February of this year, William Williamson (23) was jailed for five years and four months with an extended sentence of a further three years after admitting repeatedly punching and kicking Gary Paterson on March 5.
But Williamson had carried out a vicious assault on another man, Clive Topping, in his home just three days earlier on March 2. It left him with multiple fractures to his skull, both eye sockets, cheek bone, jaw and nose. He has been left with a drooping left eye.
The Crown accepted a guilty plea at Inverness Sheriff Court to a single punch which left Mr Topping severely injured and permanently impaired.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank expressed surprise at this after reading of Mr Topping's injuries.
He commented to defence solicitor advocate Shahid Latif: "That is one amazing punch. The injuries are significant."
Mr Latif replied: "The Crown accepted it was a single punch and the consequences are disproportionate."
Sheriff Cruickshank then said: "I have to accept that this has been agreed and I will say nothing more than that."
He then addressed Williamson who appeared by video link from prison: "There was not the slightest justification for you doing that."
The court had been told that Williamson wrongly accused Topping of stealing his bank card after the pair had an all day drinking session in Mr Topping's house in Bruce Gardens, Inverness before unleashing the punch. It caused his victim to fall to the floor.
Mr Latif said: "This was three days of madness which overtook him in a fugue of intoxication and drugs. He apologises to the complainer. There were a number of factors which led to this."
Mr Latif said the taking of the intoxicants by his client was a response to a number of bereavements. "The passing of his grandfather, father and sister in recent years had an effect on him," he added. "But now he is at a crossroads in his life and he is taking help in prison."
Williamson was jailed for 18 months to run alongside his current sentence.
