A Fife man who smashed a pint glass into his girlfriend’s face, costing her an eye, has been jailed.
Alastair Lindsay assaulted Zara Sutherland at The East Port bar in Dunfermline, in April 2019.
The 38-year-old smashed the glass into Ms Sutherland’s face, lacerating her eyeball.
Despite the efforts of surgeons, her eye could not be saved and was eventually removed.
Lindsay told police he had not wanted to hit Ms Sutherland with the glass but had intended to pour its contents over her.
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, Lindsay’s defence agent Chris Sneddon said his client was sorry for the incident.
‘Catastrophic consequences’
He said: “It’s quite clear that he accepts responsibility for the catastrophic consequences of his actions and is remorseful.
“It’s been some time since the commission of this offence and he is assessed as having a very low risk of re-offending.”
He added Lindsay continued to maintain he only meant to pour his drink over Ms Sutherland and did not mean to partially blind her.
“He’s a tree surgeon and has found it quite difficult to do that because of this incident.
“It’s has put pressure on him and he didn’t think he was safe in a tree when he’s in that frame of mind.”
He asked Sheriff James Williamson to consider a non-custodial sentence due to Lindsay being a first offender.
The sheriff declined and jailed him for 27 months.
Night out with friends
The court had previously heard Lindsay had joined Ms Sutherland and her friends in Edinburgh, before the group got a taxi back to Fife.
The group resumed drinking at East Port Bar but things took a turn for the worse when Ms Sutherland poured her drink over Lindsay.
He lunged at her and the full pint glass in his hand smashed on impact.
Lindsay’s retaliation left his now-former partner in need of life-changing surgery but the three-hour operation was unsuccessful.
Lindsay, of Pittencrieff Street, Dunfermline, admitted assaulting Ms Sutherland to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment and to the danger of her life on April 21 2019.
