Moray stepfather hurt teenager during lockdown row
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A stepfather who injured a 15-year-old boy while trying to stop him leave the house appeared at court earlier today.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been drinking at home during the afternoon of April 21, 2020 – nearly a month after the first lockdown was imposed.
Fiscal depute Karen Poke told Elgin Sheriff Court that the defendant heard the teenager putting his shoes in the kitchen.
She added: "He asked the boy where he was going.
"The boy replied that he was going for a run."
The court heard that an argument then ensued.
Lockdown rules at the time allowed a person to go outside for an hour to exercise
The argument ended with the stepfather striking the teenager to the side of the head.
He did so with such force that the youth fell backwards and banged his head on a wall.
Ms Poke added: "The boy ran to his room.
"The accused followed him, shouting at him to pack his bags and get out of the house."
The teenager subsequently went to his grandmother's house.
The court was told that he was left with a lump on his head but did not require medical treatment.
Defence solicitor Ben Thom stated that his client was "disgusted" by his own behaviour.
Speaking directly to the defendant, Sheriff David Mackie said: "It's unfortunate that you find yourself here today but it's a quite serious matter.
"If I imposed a fine it might impact financially on your family as much as on you.
"Therefore, I'm going to order you to carry out unpaid work."
The defendant was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work for the community within the next two years.
