Two 24-year-olds are fined over their role in Thurso melee
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Two 24-year-olds have faced the music for their part in a late-night melee at a Thurso taxi rank.
Dounreay decommissioning operative Ewan Grant and bricklayer Jordan MacGregor were among six or seven involved, Wick Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday.
Procurator fiscal David Barclay said a couple stepped in to try and defuse the trouble which flared up in Princes Street on the evening of November 7, 2020.
He said: "It did not go to plan and they got caught up in the ongoing scuffle. In the course of this, the man recalls being struck on the body and the woman was knocked to the ground."
The flare-up had died down by the time police arrived.
The couple recognised Grant and MacGregor among those present but could not say who was responsible for what happened to them.
Mr Barclay said the incident had occurred when restrictions were starting to ease after the first Covid lockdown.
Grant, of Achunabest, Reay and MacGregor, of Bayview Terrace, Thurso, admitted, while acting with others, breaking the peace by acting disorderly and scuffling.
Solicitor Marc Dickson, for Grant, said that his client had gone out with friends at a time when socialising had just been permitted again.
He said too much alcohol had been taken and "some form of altercation" had taken place.
"It's lost in the mists of time what caused that but he and others got caught up in the melee," Mr Dickson said. "It's not entirely clear who did what."
Mr Dickson said the case has been hanging over Grant and his family for some time.
Grant wanted to publicly apologise for the way he behaved on the night.
Josie Donachie, for MacGregor, said: "He too is remorseful for his actions and takes full responsibility. He's embarrassed to be in this position today."
Claiming he acted out of character, Ms Donachie said her client is normally an upstanding member of the community.
Sheriff Ian Miller noted that neither had been in similar trouble before.
He fined each of them £325, together with a victim surcharge of £20.
