A Fife teenager knocked out a man in a street fight between feuding families involving “glass bottles, a cricket bat, and metal poles”.
Miller Muir kicked his victim’s chest as he fell back, which caused him to hit his head off the ground, knocking him unconscious.
The violent brawl broke out at Simon Crescent, Methilhill, on the evening of July 28 2023.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard there were about 25 people involved at one point, many of whom were fighting.
Muir, then aged 18 but now 20, appeared in the dock to plead guilty to the assault to severe injury.
Rival families clashed
Prosecutor Jamie Hilland told the court the background to the fighting is a dispute between different families living in the street and their associates – in particular between the Cleave and Cash families.
Muir, formerly of Simon Crescent but now living in Leven, is friendly with members of the Cash family.
The fiscal depute said: “Some of the other participants, on both sides of the brawl, are alleged to have been using weapons including glass bottles, a cricket bat, and metal poles”.
The court heard there have been other prosecutions arising out of the incident.
The fiscal depute said in addition to Muir’s victim, who was then aged 34, at least two other people were badly injured.
Mr Hilland said Muir arrived as the disturbance was ongoing and he approached his victim and pulled him away from another person.
As the man started to fall back, Muir kicked him to the chest, resulting in his injuries.
Mr Hilland said the street fight continued and as the man was lying on the ground and Muir was elsewhere, others kicked him to the back.
Facial injuries
An ambulance took the man to hospital and medics found him to have “gross swelling to the left eye and left jaw,” the fiscal said.
X-rays were done and revealed multiple facial fractures, including to bones around the eye area and to the jaw.
The fiscal confirmed the injuries were a result of Muir’s assault.
The man discharged himself from hospital against medical advice and missed follow-up appointments, though he has since had appointments with specialists.
Video footage taken from a distance and lasting a matter of seconds, was played in court to give a sense of the scale of the incident.
Defence lawyer Danielle Stringer pointed out Muir, who works full-time at a timber company in Buckhaven, has no previous convictions and no outstanding court cases.
The solicitor said she would reserve full mitigation for the sentencing hearing, set for June 25 after background reports are prepared. His bail was continued.
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