Camelon offender scarred man for life with car key-in-fist punch to face

Appearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday, James Linton, 27, had pleaded guilty to assault to injury and permanent disfigurement at an address in James Street, Stenhousemuir on June 15 last year.

Procurator fiscal depute Christie MacColl said: “It was 2pm and the witnesses were within their home address. The accused attended at the door and the witnesses asked him to leave.

"The witness followed the accused to where his car was parked. The accused flicked open his car key and punched the witness to the left side of the face.”

It was stated the man required three stitches to the 1 cm deep wound on his left cheek and had been advised he would have a permanent scar as a result.

Martin Morrow, defence solicitor, said: “What happened here is the complainer mentioned in the charge is the partner of Mr Linton’s former girlfriend. There was something to be done with the dog and there had been a fall over that matter.

"Mr Linton left and the complainer came out after him for reasons which aren’t particularly clear. Mr LInton tells me matters have long since settled down and says that no one was behaving particularly well in the street that day.

"It seems a one-off matter that has settled down.”

Mr Morrow said Linton had not purposefully used the car keys in his hand as a weapon, he just happened to be holding them at the time when he punch the man.

"He had been holding the key,” he said. “It’s not suggested he was using it as a weapon.”

Sheriff Christopher Shead noted Linton had previously been fined £900 for possessing class A drugs.

Mr Morrow Linton was with “the wrong people doing the wrong things” at that time.

Sheriff Shead placed Linton, 67 Union Road, Camelon, on a supervised community payback order for 18 months with the condition he complete 225 hours of unpaid work in that time.