Prison warning for clubber who poked victim in eye with cigarette

A Lerwick man who pushed a lighted cigarette into his victim’s eye could face prison, Lerwick Sheriff Court heard today.

Trevor Tulloch, 31, of St Sunniva Street, pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, shouting and swearing and challenging a man and woman to fight and assaulting the man by striking him in the face with a cigarette to his injury.

The offences happened as people were leaving Posers nightspot at 2am on 7th May.

Procurator fiscal Duncan McKenzie said at the entrance to the nightspot the man and woman heard an unknown man make racist comments about a friend they were with.

Tulloch, who was drunk, “decided to involve himself in an aggressive manner”. The man and woman tried to pacify him but Tulloch pushed the cigarette into the eye socket of the man, close to the tear duct.

The man went to the Gilbert Bain Hospital by which time the burn was beginning to blister.

Mr McKenzie said it was fortunate the injury was not more serious.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said Tulloch was aware he could go to custody – in fact his bag was already packed. Tulloch had made “inroads” into his abuse of alcohol and was horrified by the incident, of which he had no recollection.

Sheriff Graeme Napier asked for reports and adjourned the case for two weeks.