Keep away from my girlfriend!
What snubbed suitor, 75, told love rival, 82, in knife row over woman
IT was a classic tale of the danger of a spurned lover, who turned to violent threats when he saw his ex-girlfriend with another man.
Jealous Peter Jones ended up in court after drawing a knife on his love rival John McCafferty and warning him to stay away from the unnamed woman.
Such domestic incidents, sadly, can happen now and again – but usually, the sum total of the ages of those involved do not break 150.
On this occasion, however, 75-yearold Jones took exception to the fact that his former partner was now with Mr McCafferty, 82.
Yesterday, the retired railway worker was fined £300 in court. Having just bought a Stanley knife in a shop next door, he pulled it out of his pocket to scare Mr McCafferty.
But the pair struggled after the blade was knocked from his hand and he grabbed hold of Mr McCafferty as he went to pick it up.
First- offender Jones, f rom Lenzie, Dunbartonshire, pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to assault and possession of a knife on September 4, 2014.
He was arrested by police after the incident and spent a night in the cells for his actions before appearing in court the next day.
Yesterday, Sheriff Sam Cathcart told Jones: ‘ I take i nto account that you have reached the age of 75 without any previous convictions.
‘Despite the serious nature of these charges I will deal with this by means of a fine.’
The court previously heard around 1.30pm Mr McCafferty was with his partner in the Kirky Puffer pub in Kirkintilloch when
Attacked : John McCafferty he saw Jones looking at him through the window and ‘shaking his head in a disapproving manner’.
Procurator fiscal depute Scot Dignan said: ‘He continued his drink and conversation with his partner, however, noticed that the accused was standing next to his table.
‘On observing the accused he was aware that the accused was rattling something within his pocket as i f searching f or something.
‘Jones removed his hand from his pocket and Mr McCafferty immediately observed him to be holding a black coloured Stanley knife.’
Mr McCafferty grabbed Jones’ wrist which caused the knife to fall on to the floor and there was a struggle between the two elderly men.
Jones fell on the floor and a member of the bar staff shouted for the knife to be grabbed.
When Mr McCafferty picked up the blade from the floor, Jones
Crime scene: Kirky Puffer grabbed him by the privates although the victim was able to hand the knife to staff.
Mr Dignan said the police were contacted and when they arrived took the knife, and CCTV from the pub which showed the incident.
The footage of the incident was played to the court. Defence law-
‘They never saw look in his eye’
yer Melissa Rutherford said her client l i ves alone but has a number of grown-up children who help him.
She said: ‘His wife passed away about 15 years ago and he had started a relationship that lasted approximately eight years.
‘This relationship ended shortly before this incident on September 4, 2014.’
Miss Rutherford said her client had bought the knife from a hardware shop next to the pub for work in his house then went to get a drink.
She added: ‘ He noticed Mr McCafferty and his recent expartner coming into the pub, Mr McCafferty is a man that his expartner left him for.
‘He advises me that he was upset on seeing this.’
The lawyer told the sheriff: ‘He uttered words along the lines of “stay away from my girlfriend”.’
She added that Jones – who has since had a hip and knee replacement surgery – only intended to scare Mr McCafferty with the knife.
Last night, Mr McCafferty said: ‘They said he was only trying to scare me, but they never saw the look in his eye. If he’d stabbed me he’d have killed me. So to get a £300 fine for that is shocking.
‘My partner’s very upset about the whole thing. He was in the pub before it happened, annoying us. I told the bar staff about it and they kindly asked him to finish his drink and leave. I was hoping they would’ve barred him, because obviously he came back.
‘He’s a vile man, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.’