A man who punched a woman in the face outside a Perth hotel without any provocation whatsoever had been drinking for a full 24 hours before he attacked her, Perth Sheriff Court was told this week.
The court heard at the end of last year Ross Fenty (22), a prisoner at HMP Perth, admitted hitting the woman as she stood outside the New County Hotel Perth so hard she fell backwards onto the ground and later had to undergo a CT scan to check the severity of her injuries.
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney told the court last December the victim saw Fenty approaching her with another male at around 11.20pm the night he punched her and that he “appeared to be under the influence of alcohol”.
This week defence solicitor Sarah Russo said Fenty had in fact been drinking for 24 hours before he decided to punch her and that “paranoia” brought on by his drinking may have been a factor in his decision to lash out at her.
Mr Sweeney said in December the woman had to be conveyed to Perth Royal Infirmary after the attack out of concern about a “deformity” said to have sprung up on her head after she fell to the ground. He added she underwent a CT scan to determine the severity of her injuries but fortunately for her it came back negative.
Ms Russo said of Fenty in court on Wednesday this week: “He had been drinking to excess - he had been drinking for 24 hours and has no recollection of the events.
“He is deeply ashamed and has expressed remorse for his actions.”
Ms Russo went on to say in mitigation Fenty had spent time in the care system and had struggled with his mental health and life in general.
Sheriff Euan Duthie sentenced Fenty, who appeared in court via a video link from HMP Perth, to serve 18 months in jail for assaulting the woman on August 29 last year.
He told Fenty: “Your conduct indicates a very troubling predilection towards violence when you have been drinking.”
