Two men ordered to pay victim £15,000 after dropping sofa onto woman from rooftop

Two men who dropped a sofa from a rooftop has been ordered to pay their victim £15,000 in compensation.

The pair were sparred jail at Aberdeen Sheriff Court today but were also handed 150 hours of unpaid work and placed under supervision for 18 months by Sheriff William Summers. 

Edita Butkeviciute,31, who has been left unable to work, broke her spine when the three-piece settee landed on her as she was taking a break from her work on Union Street. 

She said she was pleased Barrie Law, 27, and Lee Morrison, 33, weren’t jailed for their ‘stupid’ actions.

In a statement released through Digby Brown Solicitors today Edita said: “What happened damaged me and has affected me for life but I don’t want those men to sit in jail.

“It was a stupid thing they did – they know that and they have to live with that. But other people in the community have attacked them or isolated them and that is wrong so I don’t want to do anything to make matters worse.

“I just want to focus on my recovery in private and move on with my life the best way I can.”

During the sentencing hearing Law’s defence solicitor George Mathers told the court: the "reckless decision will haunt him for the rest of his life" “

While Debbie Ginniver for Morrison said: “He can’t quite comprehend how foolish he was.”

Law, whose address was given in court papers as Union Street, Aberdeen, was ordered to pay £12,000 in compensation and Morrison, whose address was given as Davidson Drive, Aberdeen, £3,000.