Drunken sailor disfigured pal in Helensburgh pub

Mar 2 2012 by Amanda Mckendrick, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A SAILOR smashed a workmate across the face with a pint glass after a night boozing in Helensburgh.

Ashley Stone, 24, lashed out after the man teased him and struck his fellow navyman in the face with the tumbler.

Last week Stone appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court and admitted assaulting the man to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement at the Riverbank pub in West Clyde Street on February 24, 2011.

Fiscal depute Malcolm McLeod said the accused and the victim, a co-worker, had been out drinking with friends in Helensburgh.

He added: “At 12.10am they were within the pub when there was some banter on the dance floor.

“A girl came up to the group. The complainer nudged the accused as an indication that he should maybe engage her in conversation or whatever.

“The girl then walked off and the accused turned back to the complainer looking a bit blank. The complainer turned to the other friends who were there and made a gesture as if he was crying.

“The accused was standing holding a glass in his left hand and lunged out with his hand towards the complainer, striking him on the face.”

A bar tender saw the incident and the complainer was taken to a back room. The police were contacted and attended immediately.

When they arrived, they saw a male coming out of the pub and he said to them ‘it was me, I did it’.

The victim was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley and 20 stitches were inserted to wounds in his face caused by the single blow.

The court heard that following the incident the navy had sent the men to different areas to work.

A solicitor for Stone said his client and the victim had been “reasonably good friends” and added that on this particular night out a “great amount of drink” had been taken by everyone.

He continued: “They ended up in this pub, it was fairly crowded and this girl had come up to speak to Mr Stone on a number of occasions.

“On each occasion she did it the complainer was shoving Mr Stone as some sort of encouragement to chat the girl up. He turned round and hit the complainer with the beer glass he was drinking from.

“The point I seek to make is that it was spontaneous, there was a complete lack of pre-planning.

“He did not deliberately arm himself before striking the complainer. There was no conscious thought by Mr Stone that he was holding the glass.

“There was not only genuine remorse but immediate remorse.”

The lawyer explained that in addition to any sentence imposed by the court, Stone, who is now based at HMS Neptune in Portsmouth, would also be subject to punishment from the navy.

Any court sentence above 200 hours’ community service would have resulted in him being dismissed from the service.

Sheriff Simon Fraser ordered that Stone, a first offender, carry out 200 hours’ community service and pay his victim £6000 compensation.