A member of the RAF regiment at Leuchars will stand trial on an assault charge less than a week before he is due to jet off to war-torn Afghanistan.
Stuart Gray’s case was brought forward after Cupar Sheriff Court heard the 20-year-old would play a “critical” role during the regiment’s deployment.
Gray is one of only two specialist “maintainers” due to set off for Afghanistan with the RAF on April 10.
He denies that on January 29 at the Lizard Lounge in St Andrews he assaulted Tomasz Motyka, head-butting him and attempting to punch him on the head to his injury.
Gray, who stays at RAF Leuchars’ Napier Block, will also be forced to cancel planned pre-deployment leave in Mexico.
Solicitor Cheryl Wallace confirmed Gray is due to head for Afghanistan with members of 58 Squadron RAF Regiment within weeks.
However, Sheriff Charles Macnair said an early trial would be required as he could not agree to a serviceman being deployed abroad while on bail.
“My understanding is there are provisional recommendations, certainly within the army, stating that people on bail should not be posted overseas,” he told the court. “However, having a trial before April 10 will certainly not be easy.”
Mrs Wallace said that while the Crown had agreed to hold an early intermediate diet in the case a pre-trial sitting designed to check the preparedness of both the Crown and defence no provision had been made for a trial before Gray’s planned departure.
An RAF usher was then asked to address the court. He said Gray was one of only two people in the deployment capable of carrying out the specialist maintenance work required during what promises to be a gruelling posting.
“It is a critical position,” the usher told the court.
He said the deployment is due to finish in November.
After a series of hushed and hurried discussions within the court, the depute fiscal said the Crown would be prepared to hold a trial on April 4 just six days before the deployment is due to begin. An intermediate diet was scheduled for March 24.
When Mrs Wallace pointed out that Gray was planning to take pre-deployment leave in Mexico at that time, Sheriff Macnair interjected, “Not any more he isn’t.”
Around 200 troops from the RAF Regiment will be flown out to Camp Bastion in Helmand Province next month.