A delivery driver whose single-punch attack left a Dundee nightclub reveller with a blood clot the size of a fist has been jailed for 13 months.
Kevin McBride, 31, told police he assaulted Connor Massie on the dancefloor of Aura because “he was grinding up and down on my missus”.
Mr Massie needed life-saving surgery to have the blood clot removed after the November 27 2021 assault and has been left with a permanent scar on his head.
He could suffer long-term psychological problems and may have difficulty driving.
Sentencing, Sheriff Paul Brown told McBride it was a serious matter which caused “substantial harm” to his victim and carried the potential for graver consequences.
The sheriff jailed him for 13 months, reduced from 18 months due to his guilty plea, backdated to July 25.
‘Grinding up and down on my missus’
Fiscal depute Lynne Mannion previously told Dundee Sheriff Court McBride spotted Mr Massie dancing with his partner on the club’s dancefloor at around 12.30am..
McBride threw a single punch, sending Mr Massie to the floor, where he lay motionless.
Mr Massie had to be carried from the dancefloor and was later seen slipping in and out of consciousness.
Snappy Shopper Dundee delivery driver McBride told police: “I shouldn’t have reacted like that, stupidity from myself.”
Later in an interview, he told officers: “He was grinding up and down on my missus.”
Mr Massie was taken to hospital with a fractured skull.
He received “life-saving” surgery to remove a blood clot the size of a fist.
The doctor believed the injury came from Mr Massie striking his head when he fell, rather than the punch itself.
McBride, of Finlaggan Place in Dundee, admitted assault to permanent disfigurement and danger of life at the South Ward Road club.
Embarrassed and sorry
Defence lawyer Douglas McConnell pointed out to Forfar Sheriff Court on Wednesday his client’s comments to the police and said he is “embarrassed” and blames himself.
The solicitor said: “Clearly, there were substantial injuries to the victim.
“Mr McBride simply has to accept – and does accept – if you do something like this you accept the consequences. There is no defence.
“He does apologise to the victim and certainly has always been regretful of these actions towards the victim, not just the impact on himself”.
There is much more local court content at our dedicated page here, or join our Courts Facebook page.
