Jail sentence for man who knifed Brora man as he lay in bed at home
AN Inverness man crept late at night into the home of a Brora resident he had previously fallen out with and attacked him, a court has heard.
Hugh Williamson (39) King Duncan’s Road, slashed David Maclennan’s leg with a knife as he lay asleep on his bed at 1am on April 5 last year.
A terrified Mr Mr Maclennan jumped up, pushed Williamson away and fled from the house at Mill Way, Inverness Sheriff Court heard on Thursday.
He sought refuge with a friend and was taken to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, where he was treated for a deep incision above his ankle.
Williamson was jailed for 28 months when he appeared at court to admit assaulting Mr Maclennan by repeatedly cutting him on the leg with a knife to his severe injury.
Geoff Main, prosecuting, said the two men had met a couple of weeks earlier at a funeral but had parted on bad terms.
Mr Main said Mr Maclennan had been drinking on the night in question and had gone to bed on top of the sheets and fully clothed. He had left the side door to his house unlocked.
Williamson entered the house two hours later. The fiscal said there was some dispute as to whether he had been invited to do so by Mr Maclennan.
Mr Main continued: “After Mr Maclennan fled his own home, he went to a friend’s home and was then taken to Lawson Memorial Hospital in Golspie and then to the Accident and Emergency Unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness..
“He was found to have a large and reasonably deep incision through to the muscle belly of his lower left leg about three inches above his ankle bone.
“The injury was washed out and closed with two internal and six external stitches.
“He was given a support boot to wear for a fortnight during which time he was advised to abstain from work.”
Police later found at knife at the Mill Way property. It was forensically examined and contained a mixed blood profile matching that of both me.
Defence agent Ken Ferguson, solicitor said Williamson had an analogous conviction dating back 2008.
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The lawyer said: “He maintains he was invited on to the property by Mr Maclennan, there was an argument and it was clear the knife belonged to Mr Maclennan and it’s accepted the knife was not introduced to the flat by Williamson.”
Imposing a jail sentence, Sheriff Sutherland told Williamson: “Anyone who commits an offence like this whether invited or not and causes a serious injury to someone’s leg must accept custody is inevitable.”
The Sheriff also noted Williamson had previous convictions and served jail terms for similar matters.
