Two men have been sentenced to jail following a vicious assault on a neighbour in the stairwell of a tower block in Coatbridge. The incident occurred at Witchwood Court on February 8, where Stewart McDonald and Douglas Barclay attacked the victim, causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
McDonald, aged 45, and Barclay, aged 54, admitted to restraining the victim with a metal bar across his throat and repeatedly stabbing him. The two men, armed and accompanied by a female, left a flat on the 14th floor before confronting the victim in his flat on the third floor. The victim attempted to escape into the stairwell, but McDonald overpowered him and restrained him with the iron bar while Barclay assaulted him with a sharp object.
After breaking free, the victim managed to reach his girlfriend’s home with injuries requiring four stitches. Despite a suspected fracture, he did not attend a follow-up examination. CCTV footage captured the assault, leading to the arrest of McDonald and Barclay. Their defence lawyers cited the attack as a revenge act in response to a previous assault on McDonald.
Both men have extensive records of violence, prompting Sheriff Paul Haran to stress the seriousness of knife crime in Scotland and issue a two-year jail sentence for each, backdated to their arrest date. The incident serves as a reminder of the consequences of violent actions in the community.
In summary, the brutal assault on the neighbour at Witchwood Court in Coatbridge resulted in severe injuries for the victim and led to the imprisonment of the perpetrators, Stewart McDonald and Douglas Barclay. The case highlights the importance of tackling knife crime and the legal repercussions of violent behaviour in society.