A BORDERS man who assaulted a friend to his permanent disfigurement has been placed on a night-time curfew.

Logan MacKenzie, 37, pleaded guilty to the assault which started at a house in Bongate, Jedburgh, on December 27. This was two days after the sudden death of MacKenzie’s partner.

Fiona Hamilton, prosecuting in Jedburgh Sheriff Court, explained how MacKenzie had got into an argument with his friend who was also living in the property at the time.

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She said: "He was sitting on the sofa and the accused started punching him to the head and the complainer fell to the floor striking his head on the stone fireplace.

"He dragged the complainer down some steps out of the property."

Ms Hamilton said that while MacKenzie was talking to another person the victim tried to cross over the A68 but MacKenzie ran towards him and struck him again to the head to cause him to fall to the ground and continued to punch and kick him.

The fiscal said that the victim was lying on the ground being assaulted by MacKenzie and a passing motorist stopped, got out of her vehicle and started filming the incident.

The police and an ambulance were called at around 2.50pm.

Ms Hamilton said that the victim's injuries were assessed and they included bruising, swelling and a cut to his left cheek.

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Defence lawyer Ross Dow said the two men were friends and were staying with MacKenzie's mother.

But MacKenzie's partner had died two days previously and he heard his mother shouting at the man for going through the dead woman's belongings and had also been sick in the room.

Mr Dow explained that Mackenzie was arrested for the assault and kept in custody and missed the funeral of his long-term partner.

He added: "He has not come to the attention of the police since the incident."

MacKenzie had already spent four months on remand in connection with the incident which Sheriff Peter Paterson acknowledged.

But he stressed it was a serious matter.

The sheriff imposed a Restriction of Liberty Order keeping MacKenzie with his home in King Street, Galashiels, between the hours of 9pm and 6.30am for the next eight months.