A weekend of peace and tranquility at a Buddhist retreat in the
Scottish Highlands boiled over into violence following a row over a cup
of tea.
Two followers of the religion, Robert Jenner, 50, and 47-year-old
Raymond Storrie, from Glasgow, joined fellow worshipers traveling from
the Central Belt to enjoy a calming weekend retreat near Nairn.
However Inverness Sheriff Court that there was animosity between the
pair before they arrived at fellow Buddhist Andrew Newlands’ home at
Hazelwood, Laikenbuie, in May.
The acrimony continued on the morning of May 9 while Mr Jenner was in
the kitchen making a cup of tea and Mr Storrie walked in.
Then row about the cup of tea then escalated into violence and Mr Jenner
was accused of assaulting Mr Storrie by punching him in the face. He denied the charge, saying he had acted in self-defense.
Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood found the charge not proven.
Mr Storrie told Sheriff Fleetwood: “He poured boiling water into his cup
but not mine. I swore at him and called him ignorant. I grabbed his cup
and poured the water into mine, spilling some of it. I didn’t see him
again until later that night when he came up to me wanting to talk about
the incident. I was calm by that time although I must have still been
upset.
I was having another cup of tea and a smoke of my e-cigarette and didn’t
want to talk to him.
I did not swear at him and moved back towards the building. It was then
that he assaulted me. He punched me several times on the head.
I had swelling on my face and my lip was burst. It later required
stitches.
“I hit him over the head with my cup and asked him, is this how you practice the dharma? (In
Buddhism, dharma is the doctrine of universal truth practiced by all).
“Then he said that I had attacked him. I showed no aggression towards
him whatsoever.”
Mr Storrie later told police: “It must have been ego-driven insecurity. I
am a bit intellectual and Robert is dyslexic. I have always felt he had
a bit of an issue towards me.”
But Mr Storrie later admitted to defense lawyer Raymond McIlwham that he
had threatened to “kill” Mr Jenner while he was on the way to hospital
for treatment after the alleged assault. He added: “I was still very,
very angry at this point.”
Their host for the weekend, Mr Newlands, told the court that his home,
Hazeldean, is not an official Buddhist retreat.
Instead, he said
he invited “people of like mind” to his home.
Mr Jenner, of Glasgow, denied assaulting Mr Storrie, lodging a special
defense of self-defense, claiming that he was first attacked by Mr
Storrie with the teacup. He declined to give evidence on his own behalf.
No-one else witnessed the alleged assault and Sheriff Fleetwood found
the charge not proven. He said: “How can I be sure I know what happened
outside the house and that it was the accused who was the aggressor? The
charge has to be not proven.”
After the case, Mr Jenner refused to comment.
Mr Storrie said: “It is unusual to have a violent incident at a Buddhist
retreat. I have been going to them for over 20 years seeking some peace
and tranquility but it didn’t work out that way on this occasion.”
