A burly former commando who assaulted a child by sitting on him to rain blows on his head has been ordered to carry out unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody.
Neil Meager, 38, was allowed to walk free from court despite being convicted of attacking the teenager just three years after he was caught beating up his wife.
The 15-year-old boy told Perth Sheriff Court that he had been attacked by the ex-Royal Marine after they had fallen out and exchanged words a short time earlier.
He was found guilty by Sheriff Neil Bowie of attacking the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Errol High Street on the accused's 38th birthday last year.
Meager, who served as a small boats coxswain and team leader in 43 Commando Royal Marines, was cleared on a second charge of challenging three children to fight while acting in a threatening or abusive manner.
Sheriff Bowie said: "I heard the evidence and accepted it. This was a nasty assault, particularly given that you are clearly a large, fit and able-bodied man.
"I have no doubt tempers were raised by whatever provocation you thought led to this. It was neither the time or the place, or the manner for dealing with whatever disagreement you had.
"I accept you are a hard-working and generally responsible person who is valued by your employer. One thing that does cause me some concern is that three years ago you were convicted of another assault.
"Bear in mind this is the last time you will get a non-custodial sentence in such a matter. Unpaid work will be a direct alternative to custody."
He was ordered to complete 240 hours community payback.
Solicitor Kevin Hampton, defending, said: "He gave evidence and his position has not changed which will not come as a great surprise. He accepts it is a situation where alcohol was present, but that is not something that looms large in his life.
"He is a man who has a good work ethic and has served his country with distinction. He supports his family and will lose his job if he is sent into custody.
"It is a situation where it could be said that the complainer and the accused were both in the wrong. Certainly the complainer was not obeying instructions."
Meager, from Errol, Perthshire, is described in an online profile as having been "responsible for the readiness of his team to deliver Nuclear Security Operations and Anti-Piracy Operations amongst a broad range of other amphibious operations."
In 2018, Meager narrowly avoided being jailed after he admitted subjecting his wife Laura to a savage beating which left blood spattered throughout their home.
He was ordered to complete 275 hours unpaid work after admitting carrying out an attack which forced his wife to flee to a neighbour's home to seek refuge.
Meager had grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the ground before crouching over her and punching her repeatedly to the head and body.
Mrs Meager was seen to "be in a distressed state, bleeding and crying" and she sustained swelling and bruising to her head, jawline, chest and body, as well as a sore tooth.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis told Meager: "During this whole incident you were up for giving your wife a beating and you didn't care that your neighbour, whom you had just been out with, saw what was going on."
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