Man Jailed for Fife Pub Attacks

Jody Venters attacked his victims with a gun and a knife.

A man who attacked two men in Fife pubs has been jailed for 5 years. 

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Jody Venters was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for the second incident, which happened in the Railway Tavern in Lawrence Street on January 8th this year. 

The 34-year-old had previously been speaking with his 43-year-old victim before producing a handgun from his waistband and striking him in the face with the butt of the gun. 

During the disturbance Venters also pointed the gun at a barman's face and threatened him. 

After the incident was reported to police, officers carried out a search of Venters' home address in Erskine Street where the gun was recovered. 

He was charged and subsequently convicted off possession of a firearm, assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice. 

In addition to his sentence for the Buckhaven assault, Venters was also handed an 18-month sentnce for assaulting a 41-year-old man in the Central Bar in Lochgelly on 23rd November 2014. 

Detective Inspector John Anderson who led the investigation said: "Jody Venters is a violent and callous individual who has demonstrated his willingness to utilise weapons and cause harm to others. 

"Both of his attacks caused great distress to his victims as well as the other patrons within the respective pubs. 

"The sentence is a reflection of the commitment of both Police Scotland and the Crown Office to remove violent offenders from our communities and Venters will now spend a significant length of time in prison for his crimes."