Man assaulted aunt in drunken attack

Dec 8 2011 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A DRUNK punched his aunt and caused a disturbance while swigging from a Buckfast bottle in a Livingston play park.

Alan Forde’s aunt got a call from a close friend at 10am on October 15 telling her that her 30-year-old nephew was causing a disturbance in a play park in Cameron Way.

Livingston Sheriff Court heard she went down to the park with two friends.

“On arrival the witnesses observed Forde shouting at young children who were in the park,” fiscal depute Anna Murphy said.

“He was drinking from a Buckfast bottle and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

“She tried to reason with him and encouraged him to return home with her but at this point he began to shout and swear at her.

“She approached him and he punched her once on the left eye.

“One of the male witnesses challenged him regarding this punch and Mr Forde then began to push him on the chest.”

The police were called and on arrival they found Forde on the ground being restrained by the three witnesses. Ambulance staff attended as he was being violently sick but couldn’t assess him because of his violent demeanour.

He was transported to hospital where he continued to act in an aggressive manner and shout and swear at hospital staff.

The court heard three additional police officers were needed to restrain him while he was medically examined.

Forde, whose address was given as Osprey Brae, Livingston, pled guilty to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at the play park and at St John’s Hospital. He also admitted assault.

His solicitor, Alan Jackson, told the court his client had been drinking with his aunt the night before the incident.

“He had left and continued drinking and found himself causing a nuisance in a nearby play park,” Mr Jackson continued.

“His aunt, with good intentions, had gone down to help him. He reacted inappropriately and in a shameful way as she tried to assist him.

“He continued in that fashion until after he had been assessed at the hospital.

“He has very little recollection of the matter as he had far too much to drink. On sobering up he has had time to assess his behaviour and says he would never intentionally assault his aunt.”

Ordering Forde to carry out 175 hours of unpaid work and placing him on supervision for a year Sheriff Donald Muirhead said: “It is a bit disappointing that you kept out of trouble after being released from a sentence imposed in 2002 and then seem to have got very drunk and behaved pretty badly, in particular shouting and swearing in a hospital where people are not in the best of states.

“You are quite close to custody but I don’t think it is quite serious enough for that but you have to understand that if anything else happens that is where you will be going.

“I think it is best that you are given some sort of supervision and carry out unpaid work in the community.”