Two nurses stabbed outside a city hotel

TWO nurses were stabbed in the head outside a city centre hotel during a trip to Edinburgh, a court heard yesterday.

Gillian Clarke and Bernadette Lester, visiting from Northern Ireland, were left with lifechanging injuries following the attack beside the Apex Hotel.

Mrs Clarke, 58, told the High Court in Edinburgh they had been smoking in an alleyway in their pyjamas when they were approached by Peter Cameron in November last year.

She said Cameron, 38, who is accused of attempted murder, initially began to leave when they told him to ‘move on’. But he turned and began repeatedly striking both women on the head, neck and body with a knife. Hotel worker Neil Robertson came to their aid, but was attacked himself.

Giving evidence, Mrs Clarke said: ‘The attack happened so fast. It was frenzied. I lay down because I am a nurse and I knew I was bleeding very heavily. My tongue was bleeding, I was choking on the blood.’

‘I remember shouting, “Bernie, I’m bleeding, I’m bleeding”. But Bernie shouted, “So am I”.’

Mrs Lester, 1, told the court Cameron had moved off but stopped. She added: ‘I turned to Gillian and said, “I think he is coming back”. I felt I hardly had those words out of my mouth until I was being attacked. I felt I was being beaten up.’

Cameron is accused of attempting to murder both women and assaulting Mr Robertson by striking him on the body with the knife to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement and attempting to strike him on the head with the weapon. He is also charged with illegal possession of a knife and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The case continues.

‘I was choking on the blood’