Irvine teenager jailed for stabbing in Dreghorn
A teenager was jailed for almost four years today after stabbing a man in a brutal street attack following a Guy Fawkes bonfire event in Dreghorn.
A teenager was jailed for almost four years today after stabbing a man in a brutal street attack following a Guy Fawkes bonfire event in Dreghorn.
Hugh Stewart chased his victim before wounding him in the chest, cutting his liver and inflicting further injuries to his head.
Mark McEwan had staples and sutures inserted into head wounds and spent a week under observation in the high dependency unit at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock following the attack.
A judge told Stewart, 19, at the High Court in Edinburgh: "Such an assault with a knife does require a custodial sentence."
Judge Nigel Morrison QC pointed out that Stewart had been assessed as posing a significant risk of harm.
The judge told the teenager that he took into account the remorse that was now indicated on his behalf and that he intended doing something about trying to turn his life around in future.
But he told the knife attacker that he would have jailed him for five years but for his earlier offer to plead guilty to the offence. Stewart was also placed on supervision for a further year.
Stewart, from Irvine, was originally charged with attempting to murder the 21-year-old in an attack on November 5 last year at a lane near Main Street, in Dreghorn.
But the Crown earlier accepted his guilty plea to a reduced charge of assaulting the victim to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.
Mr McEwan had earlier gone to Dreghorn and met up with a friend and joined others to walk to a bonfire being held at playing fields. During the event Stewart had asked a woman where Mr McEwan's younger brother was.
Mr McEwan later left the park and as he reached Main Street saw a number of males running towards him. Stewart was among the group and armed with a knife.
Stewart was seen to chase the victim round a parked car and swing the weapon at him, striking him twice on the head.
He then caught the victim up against the vehicle and stabbed him once on the right side.
A doctor who treated Mr McEwan believes he will be permanently scarred and was of the opinion that his injuries were clearly life threatening.
A second man, Michael Gallagher, 31, who admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and brandishing a knife, was sentenced to 328 days imprisonment after the judge told him: "You are old enough to know better."
The punishment imposed on Gallagher was backdated and he has already served the equivalent of an 11-month sentence while on remand.