A convicted Dundee drug dealer left a man scarred for life after a Stanley blade attack in the city’s Craigie area.
Michael Torano was one of two uninvited men who arrived at victim Ross Ramsay’s partner’s home on July 9 last year.
He told Mr Ramsay: “You’ll ken who I am, I’m Mikey Torano,” then pulled out the knife and slashed his face.
Mr Ramsay needed 14 stitches to close the wound after his mum took him to A&E at Ninewells, Forfar Sheriff Court heard.
In May, Torano was jailed for more than a year after being found guilty of being concerned in the supply of a huge street Valium haul.
He told jurors the drugs belonged to his dead dad.
Assault
Fiscal depute Charmaine Gilmartin told the court that Mr Ramsay had been at his ex-girlfriend’s home in Dundee.
That evening, he received a call from Kevin O’Donnell and agreed for him to attend at the property too.
Mr O’Donnell didn’t say anyone else would be coming.
But when he arrived just after 7pm, Torano and another man were with him.
After Mr Ramsay and Mr O’Donnell shook hands, Torano said: “You ken who I am, I’m Mikey Torano.”
Torano lunged towards his victim with a Stanley knife and slashed him.
Mr Ramsay could feel blood running down his face.
He engaged in a struggle to prevent him being struck again.
Mr O’Donnell and the third man watched without engaging, Ms Gilmartin said.
Eventually, Mr Ramsay was able to phone his mum and asked to be taken to A&E.
At Ninewells, he received 14 stitches to close a laceration 12cm long and 0.5cm wide which stretched across his right eye.
The fiscal depute said the scar remains, more than a year later.
Mr Ramsay also had a 1cm cut on the left side of his face.
Admission
Torano was brought to court from HMP Perth where he admitted the grisly assault.
He pled guilty to attacking Mr Ramsay at a home in Mossgiel Crescent on July 9 last year while acting with another.
The charge states Torano struck his victim with a sharp implement and then punched him on the face and body.
This left Mr Ramsay “severely” injured and permanently disfigured.
Torano was on bail at the time of the attack.
Solicitor Theo Finlay said he would reserve his mitigation until background reports were prepared.
Sheriff Paul Brown deferred sentence until August 29.
He specifically requested post-release supervision and extended sentences are considered.
Drug offences
33-year-old Torano was found guilty after a trial in April of being concerned in the supply of street Valium Etizolam.
He had blamed his dead father for the massive haul of more than 55,500 tablets of the class-C drug found in a cupboard at his mother’s home on November 3 2020.
The stash was worth around £27,000.
Former handyman Torano also had a cannabis cultivation at his sister’s flat, next door to his mother’s in Dundee‘s Linfield Street.
He was jailed for 15 months for the Etizolam haul and handed a concurrent sentence for the cannabis.
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