An intoxicated thug took psychoactive substances before stomping on a stranger’s head and racially abusing a shopkeeper, a court has heard.
Peter Donnachie told David Watson to “shut his puss” when he was making a din near homes in Cowdenbeath.
Watson, 22, responded by kicking Mr Donnachie to the ground and stamping on his head.
Mr Donnachie was left with fractures to his eye area and to one of his toes.
Watson later went into a nearby grocery store and called the manager a racial slur and told him: “You are the gangster of the town, come and fight me.”
Brutal assault
Watson pled guilty to assaulting Mr Donnachie to his severe injury, as well as a racially-aggravated charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, on December 3 2022.
Prosecutor Ronnie Hay told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court that around 8.30am Mr Donnachie was in bed and heard a male voice shouting aggressively from Walker Street.
Mr Donnachie shouted out of the window at the man to be quiet.
Watson was seen by others in the property to be shouting and kicking wheelie bins.
Mr Donnachie went downstairs and into the garden and told Watson to “shut his puss and f*** off,” the fiscal depute said.
Mr Hay said Watson then “charged through” the front gate and kicked Mr Donnachie to the gut, causing him to fall backwards, and they struggled on the ground.
The fiscal said: “Mr Donnachie was kicked and punched numerous times to the head and body”.
Mr Hay said the victim’s face was on the ground and he turned to see Watson bring down his foot in a “stomping” motion and connect with his head.
Mr Donnachie was examined by medics at Victoria Hospital and found to have injuries including a fracture to the left eye area, a laceration to the left eye, and a fracture to a toe on the right foot.
Racist abuse
The fiscal depute said about 30 minutes or so after the attack, Watson was at a U-Save shop in Broad Street when he said to manager Faisal Raza “you are the gangster of the town, come and fight me” and banged on the counter.
Mr Raza walked around the counter and began to push Watson out before he restrained him, the fiscal depute said.
Mr Hay said Watson called Mr Raza a racial slur, which was overheard by two members of the public.
At around 9.30am two police officers attended and arrested Watson, who was taken to Dunfermline police station.
Restrained by shopkeeper
Defence lawyer Martin McGuire said Watson, of Warout Walk, Glenrothes, had taken psychoactive substances the night before the offences.
He said Mr Donnachie was not known to Watson and there was no background explanation as to why he acted the way he did, other than his intoxication.
Mr McGuire said: “He was clearly very intoxicated.
“Mr Donnachie challenged him (Watson) about his conduct and, unfortunately, it escalated into an assault”.
The solicitor said there is CCTV of the incident at the grocer shop which makes
clear Watson is “quite forcibly” moved out of the shop.
Asked by Sheriff Robert More if Watson was then restrained until police arrived, Mr McGuire said: “He says he was put to the ground, effectively”.
Mr McGuire said his client has taken steps to try and reduce alcohol consumption, which has become “very problematic” for him.
Sheriff More adjourned sentencing until May 10 to obtain background reports and Watson’s bail has been continued.
For more local court content visit our dedicated page or join us on Facebook.
