‘You’re old enough to know better’, sheriff tells 70-year-old first offender

A FIRST time offender who admitted drunkenly assaulting a man he had a long-running feud with the day after his seventieth birthday has been told he is old enough to know better.

Sheriff Philip Mann told Alistair Munro, of Stucca, Hillswick, that he should be ashamed of his behaviour on 24 July this year, and fined him £460 for his trouble.

Munro pleaded guilty to assaulting the man at the St Magnus Bay Hotel and at Stucca, both in Hillswick, by pinning him to the ground and punching him on the head to his injury.

He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and uttering threats of violence.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the man and Munro had previously been friends but fell out 14 years ago over money.

Munro had been highly intoxicated when he went to the hotel at 6pm on the Sunday in question. He was annoyed by the complainer’s presence and “went for him in fairly dramatic fashion”.

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The fiscal said Munro threatened to kill the man and tried to drag him outside. An off-duty police officer felt she had no option but to intervene.

Both men left and went home, but Munro again approached the man outside his house and attacked him again.

The police officer again intervened, at which point Munro pushed and struck her on the body, swung his arms and attempted to kick her.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said his client had no previous convictions or history of violence.

Munro accepted he was heavily intoxicated and said the man – who Munro resented because he had “never been paid for a job they did together” – smirked at him, causing the red mist to descend.

Sheriff Philip Mann said it was “a great pity you appear in court as a first offender at your age”.

“You should know better than to act like this and you should be ashamed,” the sheriff said, adding he should focus on enjoying the rest of his life “without harbouring grievances against anyone”.