Unprovoked assault left victim scarred

A THIRTY year old man is facing a stint in prison after carrying out an unprovoked attack in Lerwick last year that left his victim permanently scarred.

Jamie Hand, of 153 Pallister Avenue, Middlesbrough, previously pled guilty to punching the man at Bain’s Beach on 25 January 2015.

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard from procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie that the victim was left unconscious after being struck on the head from behind.

The man was walking home from a night out with his Up Helly Aa squad when he saw two men following him.

Following the “wholly unprovoked” attack, Hand – who says he has no memory of the incident because he was drunk – ran to a nearby hotel before being traced by police.

The victim was later taken to Lerwick’s Gilbert Bain Hospital. He sustained a 7cm wound on his forehead, which left bone exposed, needed 14 stitches and gained permanent scarring.

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“It was carried out like some sort of perverse sport,” added Mackenzie.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said the offence had caused Hand a “great deal of worry” and stress, and he had lost two stones of weight since the incident.

Sheriff Philip Mann, however, noted Hand’s previous convictions for violent crimes and handed the man a 12-month prison term.

“It’s a piece of behaviour that I find quite difficult to understand,” he concluded.