Knife attackers taunted police after stabbing

COURT: Criminals posted selfie with the caption ‘catch us if you can’ after assault outside Fife block of flats

Police hunting criminals who stabbed a man in Dunfermline were taunted on Facebook with a post stating “catch us if you can”.

Troy Hay and Liam Kinch disappeared after they attacked David Bunting with knives as he tried to escape in a car in the town’s Broomhead Drive.

As police searched for them, a photograph of the pair was posted on Kinch’s Facebook page with the message, which also included police car emojis.

Hay, 25, was jailed for three years at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after he admitted assaulting Mr Bunting to his severe injury and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

Kinch, 25, who was convicted after a trial of assaulting Mr Bunting, was jailed last June for the offence.

Armed police officers descended on the high-rise block on Broomhead Drive where Kinch lived in the early hours of February 25 2018, but found his flat empty and a search was launched.

Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia told the court: “The incident was declared a firearms incident and thereafter armed officers were dispatched to Mr Kinch’s address.

Officers were initially unable to trace Hay and Kinch but saw photographs on Kinch’s Facebook account showing them with friends.

Mr Kapadia said: “There was a photograph of both accused posing with the words ‘catch us if you can’ followed by three emoji pictures of police cars.”

Hay and Kinch assaulted Mr Bunting, who had travelled through from Glasgow with a friend, after an argument outside the flats.

Seeing Hay and Kinch had knives, Mr Bunting jumped in his car and drove away, with his friend running behind pursued by the pair.

When Mr Bunting stopped the car and his friend got in, the driver’s door was pulled open and Hay, who had the larger knife, began punching him and stabbing his leg.

Mr Bunting’s friend drove him to nearby Queen Margaret Hospital where it was stated he had been “stabbed by a Brummie” and Troy Hay or Curtis named.

A wound in Mr Bunting’s thigh was stitched and he also sustained a cut in his shin and bruising and swelling around his eye.

Unemployed Hay, who appeared from Perth Prison, was said to have previous convictions for crimes of violence, motoring offences and drugs offences.

His solicitor Nigel Cook said there had been a break in Hay’s offending between 2012 to 2018 but he had “gone off the rails” after the death of his father and had taken to drink and drugs.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist said the “unexplained” assault was a serious matter.

Liam Kinch, left, and Troy Hay were both jailed for the incident.