Man jailed after bizarre bar attack
A Glasgow man told a pubgoer in Dundee that "Dundonians don't like Glaswegians", kissed him on the head, gave him a cuddle - then picked up a bottle and smashed it across his face.
A Glasgow man told a pubgoer in Dundee that "Dundonians don't like Glaswegians", kissed him on the head, gave him a cuddle - then picked up a bottle and smashed it across his face.
Barry McAreavy has been jailed for a year over the bizarre - and vicious - attack on Stephen Hardie in Dundee's Balcony Bar.
The scene played out in a matter of seconds in CCTV footage shown at Dundee Sheriff Court.
McAreavy - a pipefitter and father-of-two - is seen engaging Mr Hardie in conversation at the bar, smiling and joking as he puts his arm round his victim's back.
But he is seen reaching for the neck of a bottle as he cuddles unsuspecting Mr Hardie.
McAreavy then kisses Mr Hardie on the head as he picks up the bottle.
He then swings it in a sickening blow directly on to Mr Hardie's forehead.
Fiscal depute Saima Rasheed told Dundee Sheriff Court: "They were engaged in banter with the accused telling the complainer that people in Dundee don't like Glaswegians.
"He put his arm round his shoulder, picked up a glass bottle and struck Mr Hardie once with it on the face.
"He then punched him repeatedly to the head and Mr Hardie moved backwards in an attempt to get away.
"The accused then heabutted him multiple times.
"The accused's friend apologised, picked up the accused's phone and followed him out the door."
McAreavy made off into the night - but was caught the next day when he approached two police officers in a car in Dundee city centre and asked for directions.
They recognised him as fitting the description of the man wanted for the pub assault the night before.
McAreavy, 34, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge of assault to severe injury committed on June 28 and of failing to provide breath specimens at Dundee Police HQ having been suspected of drink driving on June 29.
Defence solicitor James Reilly said: "He is from the Cardonald area of Glasgow and was working in Dundee.
"He had been drinking heavily that night.
"He is realistic about what the inevitable sentence will be."
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael jailed McAreavy for a year.
He said: "The only appropriate sentence is a custodial sentence."