Grandfather (62) awaiting surgery following Ardersier incident

A 62-year-old grandfather has spoken of receiving horrific injuries in an incident in Ardersier.

Tour guide Iain Denham has been left needing surgery after his jaw was broken in two places and he also received cuts to his head.

Speaking from Aberdeen Royal Infirmary while awaiting surgery, Mr Denham appealed to the Ardersier community to help the police with their inquiries.

“I don’t want anyone else to go though what I have done,” he said.

“I want the local population to help the police get this sorted once and for all.”

UPDATE: 14-year-old arrested after Ardersier ‘serious assault

The incident happened on Friday about 8pm in the village’s High Street.

Mr Denham, a father-of-three and grandfather-of-four, is a freelance professional tour guide from the Stirling area and conducts tours all over Scotland.

After dropping off his American clients at their hotel, he went back to Ardersier for an evening walk along the sea front and says he became aware of a rowdy group of youths.

He continued his walk and on his return, discovered that others had called the police.

He said the situation spiralled out of control.

After the police arrived, he was taken to Raigmore Hospital for treatment and transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Reflecting on the incident, he said: “It was very shocking.

“Before I was transferred to Aberdeen, the whole enormity hit me.

“Obviously, my family are very upset. I have grown-up children but I have asked my wife not to tell my grandchildren because they will be really upset.”

He has also had to make arrangements for another tour company to step in so his clients can continue with their tour and discover the best of what Scotland has to offer.

“I really love my job,” he said.

“I was really looking forward to the next stage of the tour with my guests but it is a follow-on fact of ending up in hospital that I cannot continue.

“But I am not going to let it beat me. I will move on.

“Most of my clients are from the US and they love Scotland - the people, the scenery, the politeness.”

Mr Denham urged anyone with information to contact the police.

“This kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable and has consequences for all involved,” he said.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said inquiries are ongoing.

In an appeal for information, police have issued descriptions of two suspects.

The first suspect is described as being white, around 5ft 10in tall, of slim build, with short, dark hair. He was wearing a black puffer jacket.

The second suspect is described as being white, around 5ft 6in tall, of stocky build, with short, light-coloured hair. He was wearing a light-coloured hooded top.

Anyone with private CCTV or dashcam footage of the area at the time is also asked to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 3545 of 27 September, 2024. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.