A man suffered a broken nose and lost five teeth in a vicious assault by his cousin over a drug dispute, Airdrie Sheriff Court heard this week.
The victim also required 18 stitches for stab wounds to his hands after the attack on December 20 last year at a flat in Kirkness Street, Airdrie.
Arthur Smith, 40, admitted assaulting the man, causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
The court was told that the men had been drinking and taking drugs with friends. Prosecutor Jack Lindsay explained that Smith left to buy drugs, and upon his return, an argument erupted over the quantity he had purchased.
While the victim was sitting on a chair in the living room, Smith armed himself with a knife from the kitchen and struck his cousin repeatedly in the face. The victim raised his hands to protect himself, and two unknown men intervened, one striking the victim with a bottle.
The victim, bleeding heavily, managed to alert a concierge who called the police. He was taken to hospital, where multiple facial cuts were treated and hand wounds were stitched. He also had two black eyes.
Police found a trail of blood leading to the flat's front door, blood on the walls of the common close and door, and significant blood staining inside the ground-floor flat. Officers discovered the victim's knocked-out teeth on the living room floor. Smith's DNA was found on a bloodstained knife.
Smith also admitted stealing a car from Progress Drive, Caldercruix, on January 20 this year and driving it dangerously while three times over the alcohol limit in Blair Road, Coatbridge, the following day.
The vehicle was taken from a driveway around 4pm while the owner had gone inside after inflating a tyre, leaving the engine running. Smith, who was visiting a friend nearby, jumped into the car and drove off.
The next day at around 6.45pm, he was seen traveling at great speed. He lost control, hitting two parked cars and another vehicle; the driver of the latter avoided injury. All four vehicles sustained significant damage.
Smith staggered away and did not respond when the other driver shouted at him. Police found him in a nearby wooded area. When breathalysed and charged, he replied, 'It's more coke than drink.'
Defence lawyer Nicky Matteo said Smith, who has previous convictions, suffers from mental issues due to alcohol and drug abuse. He added that Smith was under the influence during the offences and that the car theft was opportunistic.
Sheriff Joseph Hughes deferred sentence until next month, and Smith was remanded in custody.
