A man who savagely attacked his lifelong friend with a samurai sword in a row over a computer game has been spared a jail term.
Christopher Smith took the sword owned by his girlfriend’s father from their house in Kirkcaldy after arguing with Mark Wood.
They went into the street and began fighting and Smith repeatedly struck Mr Wood with the sword, slicing to the bone.
Smith also pinned him down and held the sword to his throat.
Despite the violent attack and his horrific injuries, Mr Wood attended court to support Smith.
Depute fiscal Lindsey Armstrong told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court the pair were drinking alcohol together in Caithness Place and fell out over an X-Box game.
The complainer, she said, began challenging his friend for a fight and Smith followed him outside with the weapon.
She said: “He struck the complainer on the arm with it.
“They became involved in a fight on the ground and during the course of this the accused repeatedly struck the complainer on the body with the sword.
“At one point the accused had the sword pressed against the complainer’s throat while he was on the ground.”
“The fight stopped and the complainer headbutted the accused two or three times, to which the accused said ‘I deserved that’.”
Police searched for Mr Wood and when they found him they had to deploy CS spray as he refused to stop initially.
He was raced to hospital for treatment for a series of wounds, including one that went as deep as his elbow joint which had to be screwed back together by medics.
Smith, 28, of Caithness Place, Kirkcaldy, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of assault committed on October 3 last year.
Martin Maguire, defending, said: “His victim has actually come to court today in support of Mr Smith. Violence of this type is out of character for him.”
Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist imposed a community payback order with 300 hours’ unpaid work and 18 months’ supervision.