A 15-YEAR-OLD boy had drunk half a litre of vodka when he plunged a kitchen knife into a man during a street brawl, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard today.
Jamie McKinsley, now 16, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mark Meere by stabbing him with a knife to his severe injury in Bonnyrigg.
The attack took place in the Midlothian town's High Street at around midnight on July 29 last year after Mr Meere, 39,
and a friend got into an argument with a group of youths.
One of the youths brought out a baseball bat and a fight began.
McKinsley, who had been watching from a distance, had got involved after seeing his 13-year-old brother being punched.
He was seen running up to the group with a knife and punching Mr Meere repeatedly, stabbing him in the back once below his ribs.
After the stabbing, McKinsley handed the 23cm-long kitchen knife to a friend who ran into a nearby chip shop and put it on the counter. Police later recovered the weapon.
McKinsley told police he had gone to the aid of his brother after seeing him being assaulted and did not know why he had the knife, which belonged to his grandmother, with him.
Mr Meere did not realise he had been stabbed until later on that night, and was taken to hospital with a 5cm wound.
Doctors said he was "extremely lucky" the knife had missed his major organs and that, other than pain and scarring, he had suffered no further complications.
The court was told Mr Meere finds it upsetting to talk about the incident and that his marriage has been under strain since.
Graeme Runcie, defending, said McKinsley, of Park Crescent, Bonnyrigg, had been counselled for alcohol and substance misuse and was seeing a psychiatrist but had not offended since the incident.
Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie allowed him to remain on bail until sentencing next month and placed him on curfew between 7pm and 7am.
"This was a pretty bad assault, I think you will agree," the sheriff added.
The full article contains 356 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
