A Royal Marine corporal has to pay compensation to a police officer he left needing stitches during a street brawl in Dundee,
Corporal Alexander Rea, 31, bundled PC Stephen Browne to the ground as he struggled violently with the group of Police Scotland officers trying to arrest him.
Rea – whose own father is a long-serving police officer – left the constable needing four stitches after he fell on to a pile of broken glass and suffered a deep gash.
The non-commissioned officer claimed he was using his rank to intervene with other Marines who were being unruly with locals during the festive leaving do for Rea.
Sheriff Gregor Murray noted Rea had seen active service and could face career repercussions as a result of the conviction at Dundee Sheriff Court.
He fined him £500 and ordered him to pay £750 compensation to PC Browne after the commando admitted his part in the incident in South Tay Street on December 14 2021.
Rea, formerly of RM Condor and now of South Shields, admitted resisting and struggling violently with three police officers and causing PC Browne to fall, to his injury.
Street brawl
Fiscal depute Callum Gordon told the court: “There were reports of an agitated group in the street around 3 am.
“There was clearly an incident involving a large number of people.
“Police attention was drawn to the accused, who was unhappy with another member of the group.
“They spoke to him but he was immediately aggressive and lashed out.
“The accused and PC Browne fell onto the ground.
“The officer fell onto smashed glass, which resulted in a laceration, which required four stitches.”
Service in Middle East and Africa
Solicitor Carolyn Leckie, defending, said: “He is a Corporal in the Marines.
“On the night this happened he was on a night out with colleagues.
“It was his night out because he was leaving to go back down south.
“There had been some difficulties – not caused by him – as being in a group of Marines in Dundee had attracted some attention.
“As he is a Corporal he felt at the time he was acting to pull others back from any trouble.
“He had consumed alcohol. He has learned his lesson and doesn’t now drink to excess.
“I would ask the court to deal with it in a lenient manner.
“A month before this happened his mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and she is now terminal.
“He has seen active service in the Middle East and Africa.
“His father is a police officer. He is very ashamed of behaving in this way towards a police officer.
“This will potentially have implications for his career with the Marines but he accepts responsibility for what happened.”
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