A 61-year-old man who headbutted a man in a Douglas pub has been fined.
Stephen Hugh Bradley, 63, of Peel was sentenced by magistrates on Thursday.
The court heard that on Friday December 8 2023, police were called to the British after an incident between two men.
At the time, officers were unsure of who the guilty party was, which resulted in both being arrested, though it did eventually become clear that Bradley had headbutted the other man.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault in December 2023, but his advocate said the prosecution had sought a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, which saw the case set for a trial.
This was due to a 4cm cut on the other man’s head.
However, the court heard that not only had Bradley denied causing the cut, it was not recorded by officers who arrested him or by the forced medical officer who examined him.
Furthermore, a witness who had led the other man outside the pub, said he did not have the cut immediately after Bradley headbutted him.
Defence advocate Peter Taylor said his client was ashamed of his actions and said he had “clearly overreacted” to the something said by the claimant, who he said had been a “nuisance”.
Mr Taylor added that due to the attempt by prosecutors to seek an ABH charge, Bradley had been required to pay over £2,900 in legal aid costs, which magistrates agreed should be returned to him.
They fined Bradley £500 and ordered him to pay £125 in costs.
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