Drunken thug given three years in prison for brutal knife attack

A SEVEN inch blade was used to slice a man’s arm in a ‘drunken’, ‘unprovoked’ and ‘ violent’ attack in Oban this summer.

William Douglas was sentenced to more than three years in prison for the assault on Breadalbane Street, which occurred in the early hours of June 19.

The 33-year- old man from Balloch has been in Low Moss prison since June 29, following another severe assault just days after the attack in Oban.

The injury he inflicted was so severe it caused muscle damage, along with soft tissue tearing, under the 10 centimetre wound.

On Tuesday, Oban sheriff court heard that Douglas had been staying in the Rowan Tree hotel with his partner, where they began arguing before he left the room at 1.50am on the Friday.

It was after this that he met his victim outside Oban Backpackers. The victim was a 30-year- old geologist, who grew up in Mid Argyll, but has been living in Australia for the last four years.

He was back in Oban for his friend’s stag party, procurator fiscal Eoin McGinty told the court. Douglas tried to fight with the victim, whom he had never met. When friends intervened, he pulled out the knife and cut the man’s left arm.

Mr McGinty said: ‘The knife had gone through skin, soft tissue and underlying muscle.’

‘The injured man was kept in hospital overnight because it was thought the tendons in his arm had been severed, which would require surgery. However, on further examination, it was decided there was no permanent damage other than scarring.’

The knife, around seven inches in length, was shown in court and described as ‘a weapon, not a domestic knife,’ by Sheriff Ruth Anderson, QC.

Defending solicitor Gail Campbell said Douglas remembered little about the night and he expressed ‘sincerest apologies’. She added the knife had been in his car boot from an earlier fishing trip.

As she was passing sentence, Sheriff Anderson said the seriousness of the attack, combined with Douglas’ two previous convictions for assaults causing severe injuries, led her to consider referring him to the High Court, but decided on 40 months for assault and eight months for possession of a weapon, to be served concurrently.

She added: ‘This was an unprovoked attack with a weapon, on a complete stranger, in a street in Oban. You have a bad record. This is your third conviction for assault to severe injury. This is what can only be described as random, drunken and violent behaviour.’

The sentence will be added to the 23 months Douglas faces for the subsequent assault.