Two years jail for mug attack man

A man has been jailed for two years after admitting a vicious and unprovoked attack with a weapon.

Gregg Cashmore, 28, inflicted serious injury on a man when he repeatedly struck him on the head with a mug on 14th July last year.

The victim suffered a fractured skull and severe cuts which required a “significant amount of stitching” as a result of the assault which occurred at Sundhamar, Lerwick.

Cashmore, whose address was given as Grampian Prison, pleaded guilty when he appeared from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The court heard how Cashmore had smashed his mug of vodka over the complainer’s head after being refused a loan of £20.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie said that Cashmore, who had previously been employed in Shetland, had returned to the isles to collect belongings.

He and his victim, whom Cashmore had lived with previously, had been out drinking earlier in the day. A phone call over money escalated into a row and Cashmore developed a temper.

He then asked the “unassuming” complainer for £20 and upon being told that he did not have the money Cashmore carried out the “wholly unprovoked” assault.

Repeated strikes to the head with a mug left the man with a depressed skull fracture and significant bleeding, the court heard. The victim had since suffered nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks, Mr MacKenzie said.

In the aftermath of the attack the “confused” complainer had started walking to the hospital when a passing motorist noticed the “severity” of the man’s injury and drove him to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said that Cashmore had been “remorseful” when told about the impact of the attack and said that he hoped the victim “makes a recovery”.

The offence had happened “on impulse”, Mr Allan said, noting also that Cashmore had been in custody since 18th October.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said that “everyone should feel safe and secure” in their own home but Cashmore had subjected the complainer to an “unprovoked assault”.

The attack had caused damage both “physical and psychological”, the sheriff said, adding that there was a financial aspect as well because the victim had had to take time off work.

Sheriff Cruickshank also considered Cashmore’s previous convictions in sentencing. His record included four assaults, two of which had involved a bottle. This left no option but for a period in prison, the sheriff said.

Cashmore was sentenced to two years, down from two years and eight months, due to his early plea. His sentence is backdated to 18th October when he first entered custody.