Army veteran stabbed friend with scissors

Former soldier with PTSD narrowly avoided causing fatal injury during fight in Crieff

A war hero suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder stabbed his friend in the neck with scissors, narrowly missing vital blood vessels.

Iraq veteran Alistair Sinclair, 32, had armed himself with the scissors during a fight with his friend, Graham Paterson, in Crieff on May 29.

Livingston High Court heard he had come off worst in a drunken fight with Mr Paterson, who threw a bottle at him.

Both men went back inside flats in Commissioner Street, Crieff – Sinclair to his mother’s and Mr Paterson to his ex-girlfriend’s.

They clashed again a short time later after Sinclair started shouting angrily at his friend from the street.

When Mr Paterson came out to face him, Sinclair pulled a pair of scissors out of the back of his trousers and stabbed him twice.

The first blow left a deep cut on the side of Mr Paterson’s neck, which narrowly missed his carotid artery and jugular vein – the two main blood vessels connecting his brain and his heart.

The court was told that if either one of the vessels had been severed, the resulting blood loss would have been “life threatening”.

The second blow, to Mr Paterson’s abdomen, missed his spleen by just a few millimetres.

Advocate depute Geoffrey Mitchell told the court during their second confrontation, Mr Paterson ran towards the accused and pushed him back into the close.

He said: “Mr Sinclair produced a pair of scissors from the back of his trousers and stabbed the complainer on the left side of the neck and on the left side of the abdomen.”

The fight was broken up by Mr Paterson’s brother.

He added: “The accused was also injured to the back of the head and the back of his lower left leg.

“He said after he dropped the scissors and as he was climbing over a banister, the complainer picked up the scissors and struck him on the back of the head and the leg.

“The injury to his leg is consistent with what he says happened.”

Sinclair, a prisoner at Perth, was discharged from the Army on medical grounds 10 years ago after four years of active service in war zones, his defence advocate, Ronnie Renucci, said.

He said: “He has had some difficulties since then.

“I understand he was discharged on medical grounds for PTSD – he did serve in Iraq – and there has been some difficulty since his release from the Army.

“There have been some problems with drugs and drug addiction.”

Sinclair pled guilty to assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of life and will be sentenced on December 20 when reports have been considered.

Mr Sinclair produced a pair of scissors from the back of his trousers and stabbed the complainer on the left side of the neck and on the left side of the abdomen.

GEOFFREY MITCHELL, ADVOCATE DEPUTE