News / Trio fined for Old Firm brawl
A DRUNKEN fight over rival Old Firm loyalties landed two Shetland men in the dock on Thursday for assaulting a Wishaw man in Lerwick last year.
Lerwick Sheriff Court heard that 28 year old Lerwick men Ritchie Pitt and Andrew Flaws encountered a drunken 38 year old Stuart Ross singing Rangers songs on King Harald Street on the night of 26 September.
The two Shetlanders, who had also been drinking, responded in kind giving full vent to songs celebrating the rival team who they support.
Ross hit out at Pitt, at which he retaliated with a couple of blows to the head that knocked him to the ground, Flaws following up with a single kick to the back.
Ross was taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital where he was kept in overnight for a scan after blood in his urine suggested damage to his kidneys, though his only injuries turned out to be bruising to his back and face.
On Thursday all three pled guilty to assault in what procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie described as “a rather bizarre and pathetic situation”.
Pitt, a furniture assembler and barman who lives at 20 Fogralea, was fined £275 for his part in the incident, while unemployed Flaws was fined £400 for his more serious assault.
Ross, of 43 Woodside Crescent, Newmains, pled guilty by letter saying that he could not attend court due to a broken leg and was fined £175.
Sheriff Philip Mann said the men had been “very childish” having a fight over “some stupid football songs”.
He added: “It beggars belief that this should happen in Shetland when the two football teams involved are many miles away. It’s a pity you couldn’t concentrate your efforts on something more local and worthwhile.”
He also warned Flaws that he was lucky not to be facing a more serious charge as kicking someone, especially in the back, could cause far more severe injuries than Ross suffered.
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