Man punched friend in the face as he waited to be sentenced for killing a pedestrian

David Nisbet, 22, dislocated Jamie Angus’ cheek bone when he assaulted him in a nightclub.

A man who was facing jail for killing a trainee teacher put a friend in hospital, a court has heard.

David Nisbet, 22, punched his friend Jamie Angus with such force that he dislocated the man’s cheek bone, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard on Tuesday.

At the time, Nisbet was awaiting sentence at the city’s High Court after being convicted of causing the death in November 2009 of Fiona Clason, 24.

Lady Smith jailed him for five years and eight months in May 2011.

On Tuesday, Nisbet pleaded guilty to assault to severe injury on April 2011 before Sheriff William Holligan. The court heard how this was Nisbet’s third assault conviction.

Depute fiscal John Kirk said Nisbet started drinking with friends at 5pm and ended up in the Karma Nights nightclub in the city’s Lothian Road where he continued to drink.

He got into an argument on the dance floor with another clubber and then started fighting with Mr Angus.

Mr Kirk said Nisbet punched Angus with such force that he needed to go to hospital after the incident.

He said: “The complainer sustained a small cut to the face. He also sustained a facial injury. The complainer was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary before being taken to St John’s Hospital in Livingston. The complainer needed to have an operation to remedy the injury. It is thought he will make a full recovery from the incident.”

Nisbet was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

On that occasion, the court heard how Nisbet drove his Volkswagen Golf up to speeds of 80 mph in a residential street on a cold, wet windy evening before crashing into pedestrian Fiona Clason.

Ms Clason was heading for a bus stop at about 8pm after visiting her mum in the Granton area of Edinburgh. Nisbet’s 2.3 litre Golf tried to overtake another car and spun out of control and into the path of a bus.

Bus driver James Brondum narrowly avoided a collision by swerving out of the way. Nisbet’s car mounted a kerb and hit a lamp post. But he regained control and sped away, hitting Ms Clason as she crossed Waterfront Avenue. She died from head injuries the following day.

The ceramic tiler sped away and it took him five hours to report the accident to police.

Jailing him, Lady Smith said: “Her life was full of promise but was abruptly and quite unnecessarily cut short.”