Fraserburgh man carried out vicious early hours assault for £120 in cash

Press and Journal

30-04-2025

A Fraserburgh man has admitted to carrying out a violent early-morning attack on his victim to rob him of just £120, a court has heard.
Craig Murray, appearing on remand from HMP Grampian, was in the dock at Peterhead Sheriff Court to stand trial for a host of charges, including assault, theft, and threatening to set fire to a woman's home.
But the 33-year-old had a change of heart mid-way through the trial and changed his plea to guilty after hearing first-hand evidence of his attack.
Murray's 27-year-old victim, who gave his testimony by video link, said he had been living in the Scalloway Court area of Fraserburgh at the time and had been alone in his flat when Murray arrived on his doorstep at 2am clad in a camouflaged balaclava and, in a Scouse accent, demanded entry into his property.
He was unsure of the exact date, but court papers suggest it took place on an occasion between April 13 and 18 last year.
The man said: 'He came in, sat on my sofa, and that's when everything kind of started.
'He put my Xbox into a bag, he smacked me a few times. He said I owed him money for drugs.
'He stamped on my head. He gave me a good left hook to my face, and that split my lip. He started punching me on the face, stamping on my head. I didn't see it coming.
'I basically laid on the floor crying, asking him to stop.
'When I was on the floor he stamped on my head a couple of times.'
As the assault went on, the man added he was also threatened with death.
'He said he could hang me in my stairway and no one would care,' he said.
The attack happened between 2am and 4am before Murray walked him to Fraserburgh's Watermill Service Station and then Asda to withdraw £120 from his account.
Asked by fiscal depute Brian Young why he handed his bank card and PIN number over, the man said the alternative was getting beaten up more.
Saying he was 'terrified' for his life, the victim said: 'I knew he had the capability of doing a lot worse.
'It was easier giving him my bank card than suffering – what I was going to be suffering.'
After taking the cash, the pair would then go to Murray's own property on Scalloway Park, where the man was told to stay overnight so Murray could make sure he would not report matters to the police.
Following the attack, he said he suffered with black eyes, a lump on his head, bruising and a split lip.
On another occasion, in early May, the same man said he was again visited by Murray.
Murray stole his bank card, a bus pass, mobile phone, Xbox console and videogames, including Fallout 4 and Grand Theft Auto 5.
'This time I didn't get hit,' the man told the court.
'He wanted me to pay him £1,500 for not getting a beating this time.'
Murray also admitted to visiting the home of his victim's mother on May 17 and threatening to set fire to it and assault her in an attempt to extort more cash.
Sheriff Craig Findlater presided over the case.
Ahead of sentencing, he called for background reports to be prepared and told Murray he would remain in custody until those were complete.
'I will adjourn prior to sentencing for those reports to be made available to the court,' the sheriff said.
'I will also continue consideration of non-harassment orders.'
Alexander Law, of Peterhead, appeared as a co-accused alongside Murray during the case.
He admitted to a single charge of behaving in an aggressive manner towards others, on St Andrews Drive in Fraserburgh, on May 17 which was accepted by the Crown.
Law was given bail and told to come back to court next month for sentencing.