'I was lucky to survive a one-punch attack'

An attack victim has said he is lucky to be alive after being knocked out by a single punch from a stranger who has now been jailed.

Airline pilot Ross McConnell, 35, was assaulted following a Busted concert at Aberdeen's P&J Live in 2023, leaving him unable to work for several months and with permanent scarring.

He has now spoken out to warn of the dangers of a single punch, saying the "split-second action" can have "absolutely devastating consequences".

Ben Corfield, 40, admitted the assault, and was jailed for a year at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr McConnell said: "Justice has been done today, that guy very nearly killed me.

"I understand that he has had time to reflect on it. I accept his remorse, but ultimately he did what he did.

"Every day I'm reminded that the situation could be much more different."

Mr McConnell and his wife Lisa were both assaulted in the incident on 19 September 2023.

Corfield, from Doncaster in South Yorkshire, admitted punching the pilot to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

He also admitted assaulting another man on the same night.

Claire Maclagan, 36, from Dundee, admitted assaulting Lisa McConnell and was sentenced to carry out 187 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said she had "wrestled" with her decision, but she had no choice but to impose a custodial sentence on the first-time offender.

She described it as an "extremely serious assault" which could have turned out "significantly worse".

The sheriff told the court "everyone wishes Mr Corfield had just walked away".

Mr McConnell said events on the night unfolded very quickly.

"Out of nowhere this guy comes up to me," he said.

"He just punched me to the left-hand side of my jaw. It caused me to fall backwards. The next thing I remember was waking up in the recovery position on the floor.

"I don't recall saying anything to him, it all happened in the space of seconds. I just thought, what did I do to deserve this? If someone else had been in my position it looks like they would have got the same treatment."

Mr McConnell was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he received stitches to his serious head wound.

He said: "My daughter nearly lost her father, my wife nearly lost her husband, my mother nearly lost her son - all because one guy had a bad night and decided to punch me.

"Just about 30cm from where my head struck was uneven granite cobble. If my head had hit that, I shudder to think. The situation could have been a lot worse. I might not even be here today at worse case."

He was unable to properly return to his job as an airline pilot for nearly four months.

"That really gets you down," he said. "You know I thought 'why me?' A single punch has caused all of this impact for me, the physical impact as well as the financial loss and the mental impact too.

"I sat for days wondering, had I done anything? Was this my fault?"

Maxine Thompson-Curl set up the charity One Punch UK after her 18-year-old son Kristian's death in 2010.

He was punched by a man in a nightclub.

"He had a fractured skull and a catastrophic brain injury," she said. "My life from that moment has never been the same.

"He was in a coma for five days. And then for many months he was trying to get over having a brain injury. But he died nine months later. It was absolutely horrific."

She added: "We know these one-punch assaults happen, but the difficult thing statistically is that it isn't recorded by the police as a one-punch attack it is recorded as an assault.

"I have contact with people from across the country - Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland - and I would say at least twice a week I am hearing from people who are going through this, they get in touch looking for help.

"We know that one punch can ruin two lives. What I would say is - stop, think and walk away. Don't use those fists as weapons. They weren't given to punch, they were given to us to care, to hold each other, not to kill."

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland said violence of any kind was entirely unacceptable.

"A split-second, ill-informed decision can end someone's life, and leave the perpetrator facing a long jail sentence," he said.

Mr McConnell hopes sharing his story might also make others think twice before lashing out.

"I am one of the lucky ones who survived a one-punch attack," he said.

"There are many other accounts out there where people have lost their lives, become disabled from it.

"If you are really having a bad day, taking a swing at somebody Is not going to make it any better."