A 29-YEAR-OLD Dundee man was convicted of carrying out an assault with a sword yesterday after a four-day jury trial at the sheriff court.

Sheriff Richard Davidson said the jury of 11 women and four men had “fairly seen through” Steven Daniel Pape in returning a majority guilty verdict on the assault charge and a unanimous verdict of guilty on a second charge of breach of the peace.

Pape, Hillbank Place, will be sentenced on June 12 once social inquiry, community service and restriction of liberty reports have been compiled.

However, Sheriff Davidson said it would be wrong of him to leave Pape with the impression that there was much hope of escaping a custodial sentence.

Pape had denied assaulting Andrew McHardy by presenting a sword at him at a house in Belsize Road on October 1, repeatedly striking him on the body, arms and hand with the sword, forcing the blade against his neck, repeatedly punching him on the head and body and biting him on the head and body all to his injury.

He had also denied behaving in a disorderly manner at the house, shouting and swearing at Emma Marie Edelston and Mr McHardy, threatening Mr McHardy with violence and breaching the peace.

Pape had lodged a special defence of self-defence to the assault charge.

At the close of the Crown case, Sheriff Davidson upheld a submission from defence agent David Duncan that there was no case to answer on a charge of assaulting Miss Edelston by struggling with her, pushing her on the body and punching her on the head so she fell to the ground and was rendered unconscious.

Sheriff Davidson said the jury had “quite properly” convicted Pape. Pape, he said, had acted in an “abusive and frightening” manner in Belsize Road and proceeded to commit a series of assaults on Mr McHardy, who had done nothing to merit them.

He had “frightened the life out” of Mr McHardy with the sword and inflicted a bite to his nose which was a significant disfigurement but one from which he had made a good recovery.

The sheriff noted that Pape had previous convictions mainly for motoring offences, although there was one of domestic abuse which seemed to be a minor episode.

Pape, he said, had a “deep flaw” in his attitude towards women. His only hope of escaping a jail sentence was to convince social work officers that he was capable of making a major change to his character.

Mr Duncan successfully asked for bail to be continued to allow his client to put his affairs in order.

Pape will be the subject of a nightly curfew until he is sentenced.