Jail for taxi queue stab attacks

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A man who stabbed four people with scissors in a taxi queue outside a Lanarkshire nightclub has been jailed for nine years.

Christopher Hughes, 22, went on the rampage after being thrown out of the Mega Bar in Motherwell last August.

He stabbed one of his victims, Kenny McQuade, 20, three times as he lay on the ground.

Passing sentence, judge Lord Uist said Hughes had carried out an "utterly disgraceful episode of violence".

At an earlier court hearing Hughes, from Cambuslang, pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Craig Gilchrist, 20, and assaulting Mr McQuade and two others, Brian Bonnar, 27, and Kevin Smith.

The court heard that Hughes had shouted aggressively at Mr McQuade inside the club and was thrown out shortly afterwards.

He told friends he was going to "plunge" Mr McQuade.

Two hours later, Hughes and his friends Stuart Glancy, 32, and Allan Brown, 27, saw Mr McQuade standing in the taxi queue with Mr Gilchrist.

Mr McQuade told the trio to get a taxi home and they became aggressive.

Scissors DNA

Glancy punched Mr Bonnar and then pushed Mr McQuade to the ground, and Hughes then stabbed him twice in the abdomen and in the back.

Hughes then stabbed Mr Gilchrist and Mr Bonnar.

The court was told that several stewards from the bar complex chased Hughes and managed to kick a pair of scissors from his hand.

DNA found on the scissors showed they had been used to stab Mr McQuade and Mr Bonnar.

All four men have been left permanently scarred.

Doctors said that Mr McQuade's life was in danger due to blood loss and he now suffers anxiety in busy places.

'Drinking heavily'

Glancy, from Motherwell, pleaded guilty to seizing hold of Mr McQuade and pushing him to the ground and punching Mr Bonnar on the head.

He was sentenced to 150 hours community service.

Brown, of Craigneuk, Wishaw, pleaded guilty to punching Mr Smith on the head causing him to fall to the ground and repeatedly stamping on his head.

He will be sentenced in September.

Lord Uist told Hughes: "You committed a total of eight stabbings on your victims, the worst injury was a 10cm to 15cm stab wound to the left side of the abdomen."

Defence counsel said Hughes had been drinking heavily at the time and was now sorry for his actions.