A MAN who smashed a bottle over the head of another male during a New Year’s Day karaoke party has been ordered to pay £1,000.
Paul Gresham appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday after failing to turn up at a previous hearing for sentence and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
The 33-year-old – now working in Lincolnshire – handed himself into police when he realised a warrant had been issued.
Prosecutor Fiona Caldwell described how the victim, Kevin Williams, had been drinking in the White Swan pub in Kelso with other witnesses on New Year’s Day when the incident happened.
She explained: “Brian Campbell was running the karaoke at the bar and the accused was drinking in the bar with friends.
“The witnesses were facing the karaoke machine when, all of a sudden, the accused approached and struck Mr Williams with a glass bottle of Blue Wicked over the head. It caused a small cut on the back of the head and the accused was ejected by Mr Campbell as he was trying to leave.”
Ms Caldwell said Mr Williams had initially not required medical attention, but when police visited him on January 5 he was found to have a half-inch cut on his head.
She added: “He did later attend at Borders General Hospital and he was given ear drops over 14 days after complaining of hearing problems. During the police interview the accused said he had been drinking with friends and the complainer was there, who he had previous problems with. He said how he was sitting on the bench facing the karaoke and walked over as he was drinking the bottle and just flipped.”
Ms Caldwell continued: “He said, ‘I just wanted to hurt him and show him he could not pick on me as he had done in the past. I am sorry for doing it. It was the history and being full of drink were the reasons for doing this’.”
Gresham, who formerly lived at Inchmyre in Kelso, claimed through defence lawyer Iain Burke that he had been bullied over the years by the victim.
Sheriff Donald Corke told Gresham: “Whatever the history is between you, there is no excuse for this kind of assault. Certainly drink is not an excuse.”
The sheriff admitted that the fact Gresham was working long hours made it difficult to impose a sentence as he wanted to impose the alternative to custody to mark the seriousness of the offence through a community payback order and working unpaid hours.
Instead he fined Gresham £500 and ordered him to pay £500 compensation.