A thug glassed a teen with a bottle after jokes ‘making fun of his dad’s suit’ were made at a 65th birthday bash, a court heard.
Gareth Gray, 41, lashed out with the beer bottle after disparaging comments were allegedly made about his father’s attire outside an East Lothian rugby club. His family had hired out a function area at Ross High Rugby Club in Tranent to host the party for his dad, according to the Daily Record.
Hamish McNeill, then 19, was left with blood streaming from a wound after being struck on his ear with the makeshift weapon. Gray appeared at Edinburgh Sherriff Court on Wednesday and pled guilty to a charge of assault to injury.
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Fiscal depute Ruaridh Allison said Gray had been leaving the club at around 12.30am and was talking to Hamish and his pals. Mr Allison said a 'comment' was made which prompted Gray to become 'aggressive'.
The court was told the dad struck Hamish with a glass bottle he was holding, inflicting a bloody cut which a first-aider present tried to treat. Police were called and viewed CCTV of the incident, Mr Allison said, and later traced Gray who had left the scene.
Defence agent Jonathan Campbell said Gray’s relatives had hired out the club for his dad’s 65th birthday celebrations. Mr Campbell said Hamish and others were not at the party, but were drinking elsewhere on the premises.
He said the partygoers and club patrons 'mixed' at the end of the night when his client was carrying out leftover food to a waiting taxi. The solicitor said: “Mr McNeill or his friends were making remarks about his father’s suit and making fun of it.”
Mr Campbell said his client had been drinking from the bottle, which he took out the club, when he swung the blow. The incident took place on May 14 last year.
Gray, of Tranent, was currently unemployed, he added, but previously worked in jobs including kitchen fitting and window cleaning. Sheriff Adrian Fraser noted Gray’s previous convictions and ordered him to pay Hamish £300 in compensation.
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