AN ALARM fitter left a man’s eye in tatters and his face scarred for life after he rammed a pint glass into his head over a love bust-up.
Iain Hay, 24, shattered the tumbler into Kevin Walker’s face while Mr Walker was on a night out with his new girlfriend after he had previously been in a relationship with Hay’s sister.
Mr Walker was left needing surgery on his eyeball and still has blurry vision because of the attack – medics say it is likely he will never fully recover.
He also needed shards of glass removed from his left cheek and will have permanent scarring to his face.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court Hay admitted assaulting Mr Walker to his permanent disfigurement and impairment.
The court heard how Mr Walker had been on a night out to the cinema with his girlfriend and was walking home when he spotted someone who he knew.
But when he went to speak to that man Hay was also there and had a pint glass in his hand.
After shouting “what was the sh** with you and my sister?” he launched his attack.
Glass
Fiscal depute Alasdair MacLeod said: “He then struck Mr Walker with the glass which he was holding in his right hand.
“It struck Mr Walker on the left hand side of his face. The accused then punched Mr Walker several times on the face.”
Two bouncers at a nearby bar witnessed the attack and dashed over to separate the two men while an ambulance and police were called.
Fragments
Mr Walker was raced to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where fragments of the pint glass were removed from his face.
Mr MacLeod said: “Staff not a shard of glass in the left eye and a misshapen pupil which indicated that the glass had punctured the globe.”
After picking the shrapnel from his face, his left cheek was closed using glue before surgeons operated on his eyeball.
Mr MacLeod added: “It is the opinion of the surgeon that the complainer was likely to have permanent visual impairment.
“Mr Walker still has blurry vision and cannot see as far as he used to.”
Police went to Hay’s Oxgangs home in Edinburgh on the night of the attack last July but he was not there.
Madness
But during a later interview he admitted the attack, putting it down to “moment of madness” over claims Mr Walker threatened his girlfriend.
Mr MacLeod said: “He stated that the reason for the assault was because Mr Walker had threatened to go through his sister’s door.”
Sheriff Kenneth Maciver deferred sentence until later this month and warned Hay that he could face jail over the attack.
He said: “It is a case where the court has to consider a custodial sentence.”
