Victim left with ‘gruesome’ injury
Blade thug behind bars after attack
A clubber who bought a knife from a supermarket before stabbing another reveller has been jailed for two years and five months.
John Foy left his victim with a “gruesome” abdominal injury after the “premeditated” attack outside a Motherwell nightclub.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard Foy had been hurt in a disturbance and left the club in a taxi to purchase the blade from Asda.
Foy, 22, of Coltness Drive, Bellshill, admitted stabbing the 25-year-old victim repeatedly at Hype nightclub in Brandon Street on June 29.
Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said trouble broke out in the early hours of the morning.
One of the victim’s friends was involved in “some type of altercation” with other persons including Foy.
Mr Thomson told the court: “CCTV shows the accused leaving the area and getting into a taxi.
“He instructed the driver to take him to the nearby Asda.
“Foy went into the supermarket and bought a chopping board which was packaged with a number of knives.
“The taxi driver took him back to the nightclub area and the accused removed a knife from the packaging.
“A group of persons, including the victim, were still outside the club.
“Foy barged into the group, asking ‘Which one of you wants it?’
“He then struck the man with the knife before being detained by security staff.”
The victim underwent surgery on a wound to his abdomen that required internal and external stitches.
Wounds to his buttock and thigh were also stitched and the victim, a call centre employee, was off work for weeks.
Referring to photographs, Mr Thomson added: “Despite the rather gruesome appearance of the abdominal injury, he made a full recovery though he has permanent scarring.”
Foy told police officers he stabbed the man “because he stood on my head”.
Defence agent Andy Iles produced photos showing bruising to Foy’s neck, arm, shoulder and chest.
Mr Iles said: “Clearly there was an incident earlier when Mr Foy came off worse.
“That does not justify the behaviour that followed.
“It was an appalling incident, but he appears to have shown genuine remorse and it would seem to be something that was entirely out of character.”
The solicitor said Foy had a “traumatic” upbringing and an “extremely challenging” background.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Derek O’Carroll told Foy: “This was premeditated to the extent that you went to a shop and bought knives in order to commit this very serious assault.
“Despite what is said in the criminal justice social work report about the possibility of a community sentence, nothing other than custody is possible.”
The prison sentence was reduced from three years to two years and five months because of Foy’s guilty plea at the pre-trial stage.