Man who injured footballer by throwing seat on pitch warned he could face prison

A man who left an Aberdeen player with a “severe injury” after throwing part of a seat during a Scottish Premiership football match has been told he may face jail.

David Gowans, 31, threw the projectile on to the pitch following a league match between Aberdeen and Dundee United at Tannadice on May 17.

It struck Aberdeen’s Jack MacKenzie, who had gone to the area of the pitch in front of the travelling Aberdeen fans to thank them for their support.

The defender suffered a “deep 2in laceration” to his left eyebrow and a “5cm abrasion” below his left eye, and has been left “permanently disfigured”, prosecutor Lee Corr told Dundee Sheriff Court on Friday.

Gowans had been a member of the Aberdeen ultras supporters group at the time.

He admitted culpable and reckless conduct last month.

The court was shown CCTV footage of the incident, which showed MacKenzie lying on the pitch for some minutes after being struck, while being attended to by medical staff.

He was subsequently taken off the pitch in a wheelchair.

The court was also shown a photograph of the defender lying next to the square plastic section of seat that had hit him.

Mr Corr told the court that on the day of the incident, Gowans send text messages to Aberdeen FC supporters liaison officer Lynne Fisk, in which he admitted he had thrown the seat.

In one message, which was shown to the court, the father-of-one said he “wasn’t aiming at anything or anyone” and that the section of seat had just been “there right next to me”.

In another messages he said it had been “a disastrous mistake”.

Ms Fiske advised him to turn himself in immediately, but Gowans said he would “prefer to apologise to people at the club and the person injured”.

Gowans was arrested and charged a couple of days later, and was also given a lifetime ban by Aberdeen FC.

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told Gowans on Friday he would delay sentencing to allow background reports to be compiled, but that he could be facing a custodial sentence.

The sheriff told him: “Mr Gowans, you have pleaded guilty to culpable and reckless behaviour. You did this in the context of being in the crowd at a football match.

“Your behaviour resulted in a severe injury and permanent disfigurement to one of the players.

“When all of this is taken together, the custodial threshold has been passed.”

He went on: “These reports may well provide possible alternatives to a custodial sentence, but all options for sentencing will likely remain open.”

Gowans, who appeared in court dressed in a dark blue suit, spoke only to confirm his name and address.

He will be sentenced on January 12 next year.