Victim lucky to survive stabbing

A thug who went to a party armed with a knife and stabbed two revellers was sentenced to five years’ detention.

David Evans, 19, stabbed his first victim, Dylan McDowall three times in the chest near the party in a house in Pegasus Avenue, Carluke, on August 26 last year.

Evans’ second victim, John Dickson, was knifed four times and suffered a collapsed lung and internal bleeding.

Judge Lord Burns told Evans: “You pleaded guilty to two charges of the utmost gravity which involved attacking with a knife two men. You didn’t know your two victims. You went to a party armed with a knife. It was fortunate Mr McDowall escaped with his life.”

Co- accused Connor Brown, 20, admitted striking onlooker Seyi John in the face with a knife and was sentenced to three years’ detention.

One of Mr McDowall’s wounds inflicted by Evans had pierced his heart and one of the doctors who treated the youngster said: “I can’t believe he is not dead.”

At the High Court in Glasgow, Hamilton thug Evans admitted attempting to murder Mr McDowall and assaulting Mr Dickson to the danger of his life.

The court heard that the stabbings happened after the party broke up following complaints about noise.

Both accused were assessed as being of high risk of re-offending and will be monitored in the community after their release from detention – for three years in Evans’ case and 12 months for Brown.

Two other co- accused – Daniel Docherty, 19, f rom Hamilton, and Robert Kirkwood, 20, from Motherwell – were sentenced to 18 months’ detention and two years and three months respectively.

They went to a house at Woodlea Drive, Hamilton, at 2.30am on August 27, 2016, and forced entry.

The occupants – Steven Haddow and his pregnant girlfriend Natasha McKean – tried to lock themselves in the toilet.

Kirkwood punched Mr Haddow, who was trying to protect Ms McKean, and Docherty admitted being in the group which had entered the house.