A Glenrothes lout who choked his victim during a nasty assault has been told to carry out unpaid work and pay him compensation.
Alasdair Muldoon previously pled guilty to attacking the male by seizing him by the throat and compressing it, restricting his breathing, at a property in the town’s Alexander Road on March 26 2022.
The 24-year-old pinned his victim to a bed before repeatedly punching and kneeing him on the head.
Muldoon, of Ayton Court, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing in late December.
Glenrothes man choked victim
Prosecutor Isma Mukhtar told the court the incident took place in a room within a communal flat in residential community housing for homeless people.
The fiscal depute said Muldoon had questioned a male in the property about the whereabouts of his laptop but he did not know where it was, leading to an argument.
She said: “The accused then pinned (the male) to the bed and began to choke him using his hands.
“He felt he could not breathe and attempted to push the accused off him.
“The accused began to repeatedly punch him on the left side of his face before kneeing him on the face.
“Through fear, (the male) told the accused he would go and get his laptop despite not knowing where it was”.
When Muldoon moved back, he ran out of the room.
His victim was later taken to A&E at Victoria Hospital and found to have extensive swelling to the left side of his face and scalp and mild bruising to the right side of his neck and right shoulder.
Unpaid work order for Muldoon
Defence lawyer Pete Robertson argued for an alternative to custody and said Muldoon is employed, does not currently have any issues with illicit substance abuse and is a young father.
He said Muldoon is remorseful and would apologise to his victim if he could.
Mr Robertson said when Muldoon first appeared in relation to the matter, he spent 38 days remanded in custody and was released by the sheriff appeal court.
Sheriff Steven Borthwick told Muldoon it was a serious matter and highlighted a criminal record containing analogous convictions for assault.
He said Muldoon’s social work report was generally positive and demonstrates he has “done a great deal” to change his lifestyle and attitude in recent years.
The sheriff sentenced Muldoon to 120 hours of unpaid work and 12 months of offender supervision, as part of a community payback order, and ordered him to pay £350 in compensation to his victim.
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