A footballer who broke a rival’s jaw and knocked him out during an on-field bust-up has been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Michael Pattie walked free from Dundee Sheriff Court despite having admitted stamping on his victim’s head during the pitch confrontation and leaving him with severe concussion.
Pattie, 29, was also placed under social work supervision for two years.
The sheriff court was told that Pattie, of Dundee, and the other player had become embroiled in a heated argument which spilled over into violence.
Fiscal depute Laura Bruce told the court there was a “scuffle” for the ball and the victim ended up on the ground with two other players.
She said: “The ball was kicked away and the accused ran at him and stepped over another player and stamped on the complainer’s head once.
“This rendered him unconscious. He was assisted by a doctor and was later found to have suffered a fractured jaw, and a 5cm cut to the right side of his head.
“The laceration was between the crown and his ear and had to be glued.”
Pattie pled guilty to assaulting the man at the football pitches on Riverside Drive on July 21 2019 by stamping on his head and rendering him unconscious to his severe injury.
Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown said: “In light of the nature of this offence – stamping on someone’s head – custody is obviously an option.”
However, she said that she would follow the recommendation put forward by social workers and instead sentence Pattie to unpaid work as an alternative to custody.
Throughout the duration of the case, Pattie has been on bail with special conditions preventing him from attending or taking part in any amateur football match in Scotland.
