DUNFERMLINE THUG BATTERED YOUNG DEAF AND DISABLED TEENAGER BEFORE SMASHING HIS HEARING AIDS
The article reports that Mackenzie King, aged 21, along with Callum Beautyman, aged 18, was involved in a vicious attack following a football match at East End Park.They battered a 17-year-old Raith Rovers fan at a bus stop near Halbeath Road.
The court heard that after the game — a 2-1 win for Raith Athletic — the two teenagers approached a group of fans making their way to Dunfermline’s Queen Margaret train station.
The prosecutor described how King made a comment similar to “f**king Raith Rovers fans,” and Beautyman attempted to punch a male in the other group but failed to make contact.
Subsequently, King and Beautyman picked up the victim and threw him to the ground, landing on his head.
The victim remained curled up, trying to protect his face, while King stood over him and punched him on the torso, causing him to be knocked to the ground.
The victim recalls curling up and protecting his face while being kicked by a person to the head and body, eventually escaping after Beautyman delivered a final kick to his back.
The attack resulted in the victim suffering concussion, grazing, and bruising, and his hearing aids were smashed, with his hearing loss being significant—a damaged right ear with no hearing and only 20% in his left.
The victim impact statement described ongoing nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and the fact that he has given up playing football and avoids going out alone.
The court described the attack as a “nasty, violent assault” and imposed a curfew order on Beautyman and a community payback order on King, along with three-year football banning orders.
The sentencing reflected the seriousness of the assault, which was carried out as part of a mob targeting a person with disabilities, and both offenders expressed remorse, with King having written an apology letter.
