Inverness court told child became unconscious after being choked

A teenager who choked a 12 year-old causing her to fall into unconsciousness had his sentence deferred for reports.

Sheriff Margaret Neilson heard Paul Flint-Elkins had come across some children playing in a lane of Ashie Road in Inverness.

Depute Fiscal Roderick Urquhart described how two 12 year-old girls were jumping between two walls or garages backing on to the lane and for some reasons Flint-Elkins told them: "I could do that".

A 16 year-old boy who was with the girls said he would pay him money if he did but he said he wouldn’t want to.

One of the girls said he was ‘chicken’.

Mr Urquhart added: "He went to the girl and said: ‘say that to my face’.

"He took her with both hands and started to squeeze her throat. The others tried to stop him but he wouldn’t. Eventually she went into unconsciousness then came too and was helped to her feet by the children."

Flint-Elkins, (19), of Culduthel Road, Inverness, admitted assaulting the girl on March 29 last year by placing his hands around her neck and compressing her throat causing her to lose consciousness to the danger of her life.

The fiscal said Flint-Elkins was a first offender;

"It was as much a crime of reckless immaturity as anything else," he said.

Sentence was deferred at Inverness Sheriff Court today until March 11 for criminal justice social work reports.