Court / Supervision and unpaid work for teenager who admitted serious assault

A TEENAGER has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work after admitting to permanently disfiguring and endangering the life of another male by striking him on the head with a metal bar.

The incident took place on 18 May last year in the car park of a junior high school in Shetland.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also admitted possession the offensive weapon without reasonable excuse or lawful authority and using it to maliciously and repeatedly strike and smash the windscreen of a van on the same date.

Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that the teenager had endured a troubled upbringing and had allegedly been subjected to a bullying campaign at school.

Defence agent Gregor Kelly said his client was an “extremely anxious individual” who had been the victim of a “sustained and systematic targeting”.

But while there was an “element of provocation” that did not excuse his conduct. He had spotted the complainer and “lashed out” in a way that was not “defensive” but also “wasn’t pre-planned”.

Noting the contents of a psychiatric report, Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said the case had given him considerable pause for thought.

He told the offender: “I hope you have seen the photographs of the complainer I have seen” and reflect on the seriousness of any case involving permanent disfigurement and the endangerment of another’s life.

Sheriff Cruickshank handed down a three-year community payback order with a supervision requirement, with the 300 hours of unpaid work to be undertaken within a year.