A grieving grandson bit his mum's head, whacked her partner with a metal pole and smashed a car windscreen with an ornamental hedgehog during a post-funeral rampage.
Kaine Baxter, 25, grabbed his mother's windpipe during the attack which came in the wake of the funeral for his grandfather earlier in the day. Fiscal depute Elizabeth Hodgson told Perth Sheriff Court that Baxter and his mother Tammie Thomson had gone to the family funeral on July 21 last year.
Ms Thomson's partner John McGuire had not gone to the funeral because of previous ill-feeling between him and the accused, said the fiscal depute. She added: "At about 9.20pm that day, Mr McGuire went to the home of Ms Thomson.
"Just after midnight, the accused arrived at the front door. Ms Thomson spoke to the accused while Mr McGuire remained in the living room. It appeared that the accused was heavily under the influence of alcohol. He asked for a lift home to Blairgowrie.
"This was refused and the accused became irate. He grabbed Ms Thomson by the throat.
"She felt the accused apply pressure to her windpipe. The accused shouted and proceeded to bite the top of Ms Thomson's head."
Ms Hodgson said: "Upon hearing the commotion, Mr McGuire came to Ms Thomson's aid."
Baxter dropped his mum and shouted to Mr McGuire: "I'm going to f****** kill you."
Ms Hodgson told the court: "The accused punched Mr McGuire once to the side of the head, knocking him over. He then picked up a metal pole and repeatedly struck him with it."
Baxter's mum shouted at her son to stop, and Mr McGuire eventually managed to wrestle the pole away from Baxter. Some time later, Baxter walked out of the house and picked up an ornamental garden hedgehog.
"He took it to Mr McGuire's car and used it to smash the windscreen." Ms Thomson contacted the police to report her son.
When officers told Baxter he was being charged with assaulting his mother's partner, he replied: "No s**t."
Solicitor Billy Somerville, defending, said: "He accepts that he was extremely intoxicated that night. He certainly has no love for Mr McGuire, but he acknowledges that this was no way to deal with things."
Mr Somerville said: "There does seem to be an alternative to custody and I would ask the court to consider this."
Sheriff William Wood told Baxter: "Your record shows that you are someone who is not afraid to turn to violence, but violence is never the answer. You're not a wee boy anymore and this was not an appropriate response to anything."
Baxter, of Springbank in Alyth, Perthshire, admitted two charges of assault during the early hours of July 22, 2022, as well as smashing a windscreen with a garden hedgehog.
He was ordered to carry out 180 hours unpaid work and pay £120 compensation. Baxter was also placed on a curfew for three months and under social work supervision for 12 months.
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