Senior IT worker scarred friend for life with whisky tumbler after Broxburn dinner party

A senior IT professional avoided prison yesterday after he admitted scarring a friend for life with a whisky tumbler.
Sindiso Joya, left, was injured after Monde Konini threw a whisky glass at himSindiso Joya, left, was injured after Monde Konini threw a whisky glass at him
Sindiso Joya, left, was injured after Monde Konini threw a whisky glass at him

Monde Konini, a test consultant at Royal London Group – the UK’s largest mutual life and pensions company – pled guilty to throwing the glass at Sindiso Joya after a dinner party at his home.

Kondini, 50, from Broxburn, was originally charged with assaulting Mr Joya, 30, to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement during the incident on August 12 last year.

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However, his guilty plea to a lesser charge of culpable and reckless conduct and a plea of not guilty to assault his wife Nonzaliseko by striking her on the head were accepted by the Crown.

Sindiso Joya, left, was injured after Monde Konini threw a whisky glass at himSindiso Joya, left, was injured after Monde Konini threw a whisky glass at him
Sindiso Joya, left, was injured after Monde Konini threw a whisky glass at him

Erin Illand, prosecuting, said the dinner party at Kondini’s home in Badger Park, Broxburn, had ended with an argument between the two former friends at around 1.40am.

She told Livingston Sheriff Court the two men had spent the evening drinking alcohol and socialising.

She said: “The witness Joya had been discussing an upcoming birthday celebration but the discussion became heated and turned into an argument.

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“The argument escalated, at which point the accused threw a glass at the witness Joya striking him to the right side of his face to his injury.

“After this a struggle ensued and the accused and Mr Joya were split up. The witness Joya was bleeding from his ear.

“There was an extensive cut to his right ear and two further cuts behind his ear.”

She said Mr Joya was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment and had further appointments to see a plastic surgeon.

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She submitted a victim impact statement, which Sheriff Peter Hammond read before hearing from defence solicitor Andy Aitken who said it was not a deliberate attack.

He said Konini had since told social workers he felt “so sorry” for what he’d done and emphasised he had no ongoing animosity towards his victim.

Sheriff Hammond ordered Konini to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in the community and made him subject to social work supervision for a year. He also ordered the accused to pay his victim £300 compensation.

He said: “This was a wholly unacceptable loss of self control which caused a grave injury.”