30 months for knife attack outside pub
BY CONNOR GORDON reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk
A THUG who severed the finger of a brave Celtic fan who stepped in to stop his son being stabbed has been jailed for 30 months.
The Record told last month how John Malone, 53, had his finger hacked off by knife-wielding Sean Doherty as he and son Conor celebrated Celtic’s treble Treble win in a Glasgow pub.
John and Conor, 25, were at Bar 67 in the Gallowgate after Celtic’s Scottish Cup win over Hearts clinched the domestic clean sweep in May last year.
Doherty, 30, yesterday pled guilty to assaulting John to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement. He also admitted attacking Conor to his injury, possessing a knife and acting in a threatening manner.
Doherty was jailed by Sheriff Joan Kerr, who told him: “You left a man with a stab wound to his upper abdomen and left another man, who was trying to assist him, with a partly severed finger.”
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard Doherty barged into John outside the pub before getting into an argument with Conor.
Door staff then spotted that the thug was armed with a lock-back knife.
Prosecutor Claire Wallace said: “He thrust it towards Conor Malone several times, stabbing him once to the abdomen.
“As John Malone attempted to intervene and protect his son, Doherty made a similar stabbing motion towards him.
“He struck him on the left wedding ring finger.
“John sustained a severe laceration to the finger, which had been all but severed.”
As Doherty, of Cumbernauld, fled the scene, a fellow Hoops fan helped the blood-soaked father and son. They were rushed to hospital, where medics saved most of John’s finger and Conor was treated for a stomach wound.
Police found Doherty near the scene as he was ditching a knife. He hurled insults, including “rapists” and “paedos”, at officers.
After Doherty pled guilty, he was described as “an animal” by the father and son.
Dad-of-two John, who is originally from Govan, Glasgow, but now lives with his family in Belfast, previously said: “I just did what any father would do – try to protect my son.”