Bo'ness thug knocked man's teeth out at 70th birthday party

Stewart Kirkham, 44, apparently mistook his victim for his dead brother before launching the assault at the club in Bo'ness.

Falkirk Sheriff Court heard the man he attacked, Alexander Kennedy, 53, had gone to the party with his girlfriend.

Prosecutor Cheryl Clark said the 70th birthday event was for a member of Mr Kennedy's girlfriend's extended family, and as a result he didn't know many of the people present.

About 9.30pm he went out to the designated smoking area at the front porch of the club to have a cigarette.

Kirkham, who was already in the smoking area, began to speak to him, repeatedly referring to him by the name of Mr Kennedy's dead brother.

Mr Kennedy repeatedly corrected him, but Kirkham said, “I don't care what you're called” before “lunging forward” and headbutting Mr Kennedy in the face.

Ms Clark said: "The impact caused Mr Kennedy's spectacles to carve a v-shaped laceration in the bridge of his nose, which immediately started bleeding.

“The force of the headbutt pushed Mr Kennedy back against the wall and down on the floor.

“He stood back up and the accused then punched him multiple times to the head, knocking him to the ground and knocking three of his teeth out.”

A woman arriving at the party at this point saw the attack and intervened, dragging Kirkham off Mr Kennedy, and helping Mr Kennedy back to his feet and into the club house, while Kirkham left the scene.

Mr Kennedy phoned police, but Kirkham was not traced and arrested until several months later.

The court heard Mr Kennedy had been left with a 1-2 cm v-shaped scar on his nose and although two of his displaced teeth had been replaced and repaired, the third could not be repaired and was now missing.

Ms Clark tendered photographs of Mr Kennedy's injuries to the court.

Kirkham, of Pennelton, Place, Bo’ness, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Kennedy to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement in the incident which occured on March 15, 2019.

Sheriff Derek Hamilton deferred sentence until November 30 for a social background report and a restriction of liberty order assessment.

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