Terror as blade thugs launched dawn ambush
Victim suffered serious facial wounds in brutal assault
A brutal blade attack involved two armed thugs luring a man from his Paisley home, a court heard.
Ronald McMahon, 54, and Harry Roberts, 22, targeted Robert Wagstaff in a dawn swoop in George Street where they both slashed him with blades in the savage onslaught.
Details of the ambush were laid bare at Paisley Sheriff Court yesterday after the duo pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting their victim with a knife or similar weapon during the attack.
Fiscal depute Meghan Glancy said: “At 6.45am on Sunday October 22, 2017, the complainer, his girlfriend and his friend were within the property when the front door was chapped.
“The complainer’s friend went to the door.
“On opening the door he was met by two males, one of whom, Ronald McMahon, was known to him. However, he did not know the other male, later identified as Harry Roberts.
“McMahon asked to speak to Mr Wagstaff.
“The complainer’s friend went to the bedroom to get Mr Wagstaff to come to the door.
“He got dressed went to the door and went into the common close area.
“On entering the close he was immediately assaulted by both accused.
“McMahon lunged towards him, Mr Wagstaff, with a silverbladed knife and struck him on the left forearm.
“At the same time, Harry Roberts lunged towards him and slashed him on the left hand side of his face with a red- handled Stanley knife.
“Both accused left the locus and the complainer ran back to his house.”
The court heard Mr Wagstaff’s girlfriend frantically attempted to stop the bleeding from her boyfriend’s face.
They also called police who soon attended and took statements.
The victim was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital by ambulance but was transferred to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary given the serious nature of his facial wounds.
Cops soon traced McMahon to his address in the town’s Lady Lane, where he was observed behaving erratically and stuffing items down his sofa.
Police who searched his property discovered a quantity of cannabis, amphetamine and pills and hallucinogenic Bromo in plastic tubs.
The drugs stash had a value of approximately £1,400 if broken into street deals.
The fiscal added police recovered CCTV footage from the accused’s hard drive showing both McMahon and Roberts coming and going from the house carrying shopping bags.
She added: “Police recovered a shopping bag located in a cupboard in the landing of the close.
“A number of items were recovered including blood stained jogging bottoms, a wooden handled knife.
“A red handled Stanley knife was also recovered.”
The court heard DNA matching both McMahon and Roberts was detected on the weapons.
McMahon, currently banged up at HMP Low Moss, also admitted a string of drugs possession charges.
Co- accused, Roberts, who also appeared from custody, but is formerly of High Street, Johnstone, admitted a more serious charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement by striking his victim on the head with a knife.
Sheriff David Pender adjourned sentencing on the pair to await a second psychiatric report on Roberts who is being detained at a secure mental health unit at Balornock, Glasgow.
Both men, who are facing jail sentences for the attack, are expected to discover their fate when they return to court next week.