A repeat offender smashed a full bottle of wine over a half-naked man’s head in a Buckhaven carpark after a mid-morning argument about stolen Valium.
After being arrested for knocking the man out, Thomas Garner kicked off at police and at Victoria Hospital.
Garner, 22, had passed a block of flats on Factory Road on September 17 last year and became involved in a dispute with resident Alistair Harvey about the medication.
In a communal car park outside the property, Garner was heard to call out: “Come on then you old c***.”
Mr Harvey lunged at Garner and the pair began to wrestle.
During the scrap, Garner smashed a full bottle of wine over Mr Harvey’s head.
Knocked out and broken wrist
A neighbour found the 41-year-old unconscious on the ground.
Mr Harvey was confused but awake by the time police attended.
As he was only wearing boxer shorts and had a laceration on his head, he was taken inside.
Garner was arrested but refused to go quietly, threatening to bite police who applied cuffs.
He refused to be placed in the police van’s cage and when he arrived at the police station, he threatened to rape a constable’s wife and said he would wait for the officer after work.
He also challenged a constable to a one-on-one fight.
Garner was checked and needed to be taken to hospital, where his outburst continued.
In the presence of other patients, he continued to threaten police and challenged them to fight.
Due to his continual struggling with officers, he was taken back to the police station but had to be returned to hospital, where he was found to have a broken wrist.
‘Stupid and alarming’
Garner’s solicitor David Bell said the young father was living in the area to try to rekindle his family situation and on-off relationship.
He said: “Mr Harvey had been accusing my client of robbing him of Valium.
“My client denied that was the case.”
Mr Bell said his client had been drinking despite the early hour and had just bought the bottle of wine.
“It was 10.15 in the morning.
“He’d been on a drinking binge.
“He’d just managed to get wine from a shop. His intention was to drink it.
“After the provocative comment, Mr Harvey has engaged in a fight.
“My client’s behaviour deteriorates, clearly.”
He said his client’s comments to police were “stupid and alarming”.
“He had an injury. He thought he wasn’t being afforded treatment.”
Weapons offences
Garner appeared by video link from HMP Perth at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to admit assaulting Mr Harvey and acting in an abusive manner at the police station and in hospital.
Sheriff James Williamson jailed him for 30 months, backdated to September 20 when he was first remanded.
This is the first time Garner has offended in Scotland.
However, the court heard he was released from young offenders institute in England on June 32021, having served just under 18 months for carrying a martial arts throwing knife in his manbag, four months after being handed a suspended sentence.
He also had cannabis and the incident was the third time police had caught Garner with an offensive weapon in public.
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