Brig O'Doon wedding punch up

Feb 27 2009

A WEDDING reception ended in chaos when one of the guests almost broke another man’s jaw.

Archibald Darroch punched Peter McCarrie on the face so hard that doctors feared his jaw was fractured.

Darroch, 55, pleaded guilty to assault when he appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court this week.

Depute fiscal Jo Cunninghame told Sheriff John Montgomery that Darroch was attending a wedding at the Brig O’Doon hotel on September 27 last year.

At around 11pm he became involved in an altercation with Mr McCarrie, one of his relations, about a previous holiday in Spain.

Mrs Cunninghame added: “At this point the accused turned and punched McCarrie to the right of his face knocking him to the ground.”

Mr McCarrie was referred to the Southern General in Glasgow for investigation into his face injury.

But defence lawyer Peter Lockhart produced documentation from the hospital showing that Mr McCarrie’s jaw was not fractured.

Mr Lockhart went on to explain that his client was a first offender and has a good job with the Post Office.

He added: “It was almost time for the last dance when he became involved in a family argument. He is ashamed of his actions, not only from his own point of view but it certainly put a dampener on the wedding reception.

Sheriff John Montgomery fined Darroch, of Hallside Crescent in Glasgow, £500 and ordered him to pay compensation of £500 to Mr McCarrie.