Jail for stabbing

Nov 21 2008 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A PERTHSHIRE teenager who stabbed his best friend a dozen times with a bread knife in a frenzied, drink and drug-fuelled attack was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.

And when he is released, 19-year-old Paul Lochrane, of Princes Croft, Coupar Angus, will be supervised by the social work department for a further 12 months in a bid to protect the public from harm.

The court heard that after repeatedly knifing 20-year-old Graham Brown in the body and leg, Lochrane tried to patch up the victim’s wounds with a needle and thread from a sewing kit.

Lochrane made the bizarre first aid attempt after the pair had been on a marathon drink and drugs binge.

They downed a cocktail of cider and vodka, combined with a lethal mix of amphetamine and valium.

Lochrane was convicted by a jury of repeatedly stabbing Mr Brown at Hill Garden, Coupar Angus, on December 22 last year to his severe injury.

He was also found guilty of possessing a knife in a public place.

The court heard that Mr Brown received treatment at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, for seven wounds, which were stitched.

Lochrane had lodged a special defence, claiming that the attack was carried out by another Coupar Angus man, Scott Geekie (26), of Hill Garden.

Solicitor David Holmes told the court yesterday that there was “no sense” to the attack, other than he had taken drugs and alcohol to excess.

His client was “very unwell” afterwards. “He was so unwell, there were fears for him.

“Since then he has been given specialist care. He was extremely frightened, as were his family, and now he can’t take drugs or alcohol.

“He has not taken alcohol since then – it’s a life-threatening matter for him.”

Imposing the jail term, backdated to October 30, Sheriff Michael Fletcher said: “Your agent has described this case as a puzzling one – puzzling because the person who was the victim was, at least until this happened, a friend.”

“But maybe it wasn’t so puzzling to those who witnessed the effects of alcohol and drugs mixed together.

“It’s quite clear that even you were in a position of not knowing what happened here because of the state you were in.”

Lochrane was fortunate that the attack had been described as “frenzied,” the injuries sustained by the victim weren’t as serious as they might have been, said the sheriff.

Nevertheless, there were a number of stab wounds to his body and that couldn’t be ignored.

Because background reports rated the accused as being at a “high risk” of re-offending, he imposed the supervised release order on Lochrane.