A battle veteran misplaced his job with a number one offender-support charity after slashing a person with a carving knife, a court docket heard.
Shaun O'Donohue, 41, left 63-year-old Edward Cummings completely scarred after the incident in Bo'ness, West Lothian. The court docket heard Mr Cummings had referred to as a cab to take him to a neighborhood pub. When the taxi turned up, the driving force seen O'Donohue appeared to be following Mr Cummings as he left a close-by property, and had one thing steel in his hand.
When Mr Cummings obtained in, the taximan instantly locked the doorways, however O'Donohue started rapping on the window and Mr Cummings requested the driving force to unlock the doorways once more and obtained out and stood on the pavement dealing with O'Donohue. Falkirk Sheriff Courtroom was informed that O'Donohue was carrying "a kitchen carving knife with a six-inch blade".
He mentioned he would "present Mr Cummings what he was going to do with it". Then he "slashed it down his cheek in a single movement".
It left a wound, primarily superficial, however for 4 centimetres incised, from his chin to his ear. The tax driver referred to as an ambulance, whereas O'Donohue walked off.
Medical doctors on the Forth Valley Royal Hospital closed the wound, however Mr Cummings was left with a scar on his left cheek, working to the nook of his mouth, and now suffers from nervousness, the court docket heard. O'Donohue, of Bo'ness, appeared for sentence on Thursday (Nov twenty fourth) after pleading responsible to assaulting Mr Cummings to his extreme damage and everlasting disfigurement.
The incident occurred about 5.20 pm on June fifth final 12 months (2021). Solicitor Lynn Swan, defending, mentioned the offence had severe penalties for O'Donohue.
She mentioned: "He was in employment on the time of this offence in June 2021, based mostly in Edinburgh, working with weak people. Because of this, he misplaced that employment."
She mentioned O'Donohue had additionally misplaced a place he held with the offender assist charity Apex Scotland. She mentioned: "He had labored with Apex Scotland as a service person, after which really gained a contract with them.
"Regretably, because of this conviction for an offence of violence, he's not in a position to proceed with that employment."
She mentioned the conviction for violence additionally barred him from utilizing his qualifications as an electrical engineer to work in airports. Nonetheless, she mentioned he was nonetheless learning psychology on the Open College, and had wished to change into a counsellor.
She mentioned: "He has his personal private difficulties "He's a battle veteran. He joined the armed forces -- the RAF -- on leaving faculty and he has accomplished excursions of obligation in Iraq.
"He left the RAF in 2008. He has suffered trauma, and was identified in 2018 with complicated publish traumatic stress order.
She added that on the time of the offence, O'Donohue had suffered a relationship breakdown, his psychological well being had taken a downward spiral, and he "wasn't coping nicely".
Mrs Swan mentioned O'Donohue had been consuming alcohol. She mentioned: "His recollection of occasions is clouded by his alcohol consumption."
Jailing O'Donohue for 13-and-a-half months, Sheriff Christopher Shead informed him: "This can be a grave offence, with a knife, and important penalties. It's precisely the type of offence the court docket needs to discourage by imposing sentences of imprisonment.
"It's significantly unlucky that you have to be standing right here within the dock for this offence, in circumstances the place you have got served your nation, and all the opposite issues that had been mentioned in your behalf. Nonetheless I remorse to say I've reached the conclusion that custody is the one acceptable disposal."
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