Trio jailed for knife attack

Three men have been jailed for a total of 11-and-a-half years for a knife attack in Hamilton.

James Kilpatrick and Ryan Steele each got four years at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday while Joshua Stuart was handed three-and-a-half years.

A jury found the trio guilty of a savage attack in Gordon Road, Hamilton, on June 12 last year.

They were convicted of punching Matthew Archibald repeatedly and striking him on the head and body with knives to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and the danger of his life.

The victim of the unprovoked attack suffered a collapsed lung.

Sheriff Thomas Millar said there had been a “real risk” that he would die.

The attack was witnessed by Mr Archibald’s gran Elizabeth Condie (69), who said she would “never forget” seeing him being set upon in the street outside her home.

She told Vish Kathuria, prosecuting, that: “I could see Matthew trying to protect himself. He had his hands up to his face.

“There were three young guys and I thought they were punching Matthew. I saw him go down.

“Then they turned away and I saw one of them had a big knife.

“I went out to help Matthew, to see if he was dead or alive. I didn’t know at that point. I’ll never forget it. I can’t close my eyes at night.”

Mrs Condie said she’d never seen the accused Kilpatrick before that evening, but she picked him out at a police video identification parade as being the man who had the knife.

The victim and another witness picked out all three assailants at the ID parade.

Kilpatrick (23) has several convictions for assault and in October 2016 was jailed for 34 months for a lifethreatening attack involving a shovel. He was released early, in March last year, three months before Archibald was stabbed.

Solicitor-advocate Ross Yuill revealed that he was given a 32-month sentence in another case at Glasgow Sheriff Court in November last year.

His earliest release date is March next year. Yuill urged the sheriff to be as lenient in possible in adding to that sentence so his client could benefit from the early release rules which apply to prisoners serving less than four years.

Elspeth Forrest, defending Steele (23), of Dryburgh Street, Hamilton, said he had only one previous conviction and has “significant family responsibilities”. She suggested an electronic tagging order could be imposed as an alternative to prison.

Solicitor-advocate Ali Murray, for Stuart (22), said the dad-of-one “needs to move away from negative peers”.

Mr Murray added: “He is a young man with potential, having served Queen and country for five years in the Royal Regiment of Scotland.”

But Sheriff Millar told the accused: “This was a violent assault to danger of life. You armed yourselves with knives and for no apparent reason attacked Matthew Archibald. There was a real risk to his life.”

He said Kilpatrick will be supervised for two years on his release “to protect the public from serious harm”.