Man jailed for brutal attack on friend who tried to break up fight

Victim of Fife attempted murder was hit with bottle and suffered knife wounds

A man was jailed for six and a half years yesterday following a brutal murder bid on a victim who had tried to act as a peacemaker.

David McLean struck Alan Wright with a bottle and punched him, stamped on him and repeatedly wounded him with a knife.

A judge told McLean at the High Court in Edinburgh that he accepted that the crime had been committed spontaneously but added: “You also have an extensive record of crimes of violence.”

Lord Beckett said: “On this occasion you committed a sustained assault on the victim and used fists and feet and stamped on him and struck him with a bottle and with a knife.”

The judge said: “I consider you have shown little real remorse for your actions which have had profound consequences for the complainer.”

He also ordered that McLean should spend a further two and a half years on supervision and warned that if he failed to comply with licence conditions during that period, he could be returned to prison.

Mr Wright had gone out for a drink at a bar in Leslie when he met longstanding acquaintance McLean who was out with others.

They later went to McLean’s home in Lumsden Road, Glenrothes, and were joined by others.

Mr Wright, 43, told an earlier trial: “Me and David have always got on. We never had any issue or problems at all.”

He said that at the flat McLean was “quite drunk” and another man and woman had arrived.

Mr Wright said: “Arguments started happening. I just remember one minute trying to calm the situation down and the next minute I was being attacked.”

The victim said he was left with his forehead “hanging down”.

“I felt the blood running in my eyes. I didn’t realise the extent of the damage,” he said.

He added that the blows just kept on coming and he knew he had to try to get out of the top floor flat.

He said he tried to shield his face and neck with his arms up but sustained lacerations to his shoulder and arms.

McLean, 34, had denied attempting to murder Mr Wright after assaulting him to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life while acting with others on May 2 last year, but was found guilty following a trial.

I felt the blood running in my eyes. I didn’t realise the extent of the damage. ALAN WRIGHT