Edinburgh former Hibs star Colin Nish sentenced after headbutting partner during row over money

Colin Nish is fined and handed a non-harassment order

A former Hibs star attacked his partner by headbutting her to the face during a furious row over money.

Colin Nish lashed out at Jennifer Murray when the pair clashed at the couple’s family home in Musselburgh, East Lothian, earlier this year. Nish struck Ms Murray to the face with his head, leaving her with severe bruising and black eyes during the shocking incident that took place while the couple’s children were in the house.

Nish, 42, denied the attack on his now-former partner, claiming the pair were both pushing their heads together during the bust up and her injuries were caused accidentally. But a sheriff failed to believe the retired footballer’s version of events and found him guilty of assaulting Ms Murray following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.

Former Hibs star Colin Nish was found guilty of assaulting his partner at their Musselburgh home earlier this year.

The 6ft 2in ex-striker, who played for the Easter Road club between 2008 and 2011, has now been banned from having any contact with the woman for the next 12 months.

Ms Murray, 43, told the trial she and Nish had been in a relationship for around 14 years and the couple had two children together. She said the relationship had broken down and the pair had been arguing over money when Nish headbutted her in the bathroom of the family home on April 5 this year.

Ms Murray, a facility manager, said Nish “was in my face” during the violent row and he had struck her to the bridge of her nose with his forehead. She told the court: “He said to me ‘are you going to steal my money?’ and I said ‘yes’. He was in my face and then it happened. I didn’t really know what had happened as I was on the floor so quickly.”

She said the blow to her face made her fall to the ground and that Nish had then callously stepped over her and went for a shower. Ms Murray said she called her mother Fiona Wilson to tell her what had happened and she had subsequently raced over to her daughter’s home.

The victim said she went to her local police station the following day to report the attack but despite filling in a domestic abuse questionnaire she did not provide a full statement. Mrs Wilson, 65, told the court when she arrived at her daughter’s house she found her “hysterical and crying” and that the following day they had taken pictures of the bruising to her face.

Nish, of Musselburgh, East Lothian, told the trial he was a former professional footballer who had played for clubs including Hibernian, Dundee, Kilmarnock and Hartlepool. He said the couple had been rowing over how to split the money from the family home and the pair were both “pushing their foreheads together” at the time. He said the clash was accidental as Ms Murray had suddenly moved her head and his forehead had come into contact with her face.

Following the evidence, Sheriff Ian Anderson told Nish: “I’m sorry to say I did believe Jennifer Murray in that situation, during that argument, that you did hit her with your head and she fell to the ground so I am going to find you guilty.”

The sheriff added: “I’m going to impose a fine on you in this case. You will be fined £500 as well as a [£20] supplement. I am going to impose a non-harassment order and you must not do anything that might cause alarm or distress to Jennifer Murray. I am not repeating the no-contact bail condition, but if she doesn’t want to have contact with you, you should not have contact with her. I am going to make that for a period of one year.”

Nish was found guilty of assaulting partner Jennifer Murray by butting her on the head causing her to fall to the ground to her injury at a property at Newhailes Avenue, Musselburgh, on April 5 this year.