Ollaberry man found guilty of assault

THE SENTENCING of a fisherman from Ollaberry who has been found guilty of assaulting another man has been deferred for reports until next month.

Liam Johnson had denied assaulting the man outside Lerwick’s Thule bar in the early hours of 14 August but following a short trial at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Thursday, the 34-year-old found guilty of the charge.

The court heard how Johnson’s 26-year-old victim was punched on the head, fell to the ground and was punched several times thereafter, all shortly after leaving the bar just after 1am.

Johnson, of Runnadale, was identified by one of the witnesses, while a second witness said he resembled the stature of the man he had seen run away from the scene shortly afterwards.

Giving evidence himself, Johnson admitted that he had been at the Thule on the night in question, and there had been a disagreement between the two men but not to the extent that he would have assaulted him.

“I did not do that, why would I do that?” he told the court.

He said he had merely tapped the man on the shoulder while he was speaking to a female friend, but when he did not get his attention, he walked away.

However, Sheriff Ian Cruickshank was not convinced by Johnson’s account of events and found him guilty of assault.

Sentence has been deferred until 14 June for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty assessment.