A man has been jailed after being found guilty of a Valium-fuelled afternoon stabbing outside a supermarket.
James Robertson, 29, plunged a knife into the abdomen of 49-year-old Jason Coull outside Iceland in the Barnhill area of Dundee on June 19 last year.
Robertson stood trial at Dundee Sheriff Court accused of assaulting Nancy Fyffe, 71, by coughing in her face, shouting about coronavirus and laughing as well as assaulting her twin daughters.
However, jurors acquitted him of those charges and unanimously found him guilty of endangering Mr Coull’s life by stabbing him.
The court heard claims Robertson, a man with a host of previous convictions for violence, walked past the three women in Iceland while coughing and saying “corona”.
A wild brawl ensued between Robertson and Mr Coull, who said he was left “traumatised” by the attack.
Sheriff Grant McCulloch told Robertson: “The fact of the matter here is, for whatever reason, you got involved with the Fyffe family.
“You left but you returned armed. You returned looking for Mr Coull, you used that weapon and I can’t ignore that.
“You are no stranger to crimes of violence.”
The court was told how Mr Coull only required two stitches to the side of his body and was released from Ninewells Hospital on the same day.
Mr Coull said he only realised he had been stabbed after feeling blood at the side of his body.
When giving evidence, he said: “I’ve been traumatised a wee bit.
“I get counselling and tablets. I’m still kind of shocked, I don’t go out to pubs or things like that. I’m just a bit more withdrawn.”
Robertson, a prisoner of HMP Perth, was found guilty by a unanimous verdict of stabbing Mr Coull on the body with a knife, repeatedly punching him on the head and possessing a knife.
He was found not guilty of coughing on 71-year-old Nancy Fyffe’s face, shouting about coronavirus and laughing.
Jurors found Robertson not proven on claims he repeatedly punched Mr Coull and repeatedly struck him on the head with a knife during the first incident.
Robertson was also cleared of punching Laura Fyffe – the 33-year-old partner of Mr Coull - and pushing her sister Gemma with the jury deciding that Robertson acted in self-defence.
The court was also told how Robertson dished out homophobic abuse towards officers at police headquarters on West Bell Street following his arrest.
He called one officer a “homo” before pushing him on the chest.
He tendered guilty pleas to those charges before the trial commenced.
Solicitor Sarah Russo said Robertson, who was of no fixed abode at the time of the incident, had been staying with his grandmother for a short period due to her ill-health.
She said it was Robertson’s position that he had forgotten the knife was in his possession before carrying out the attack.
“In the heat of the moment he took that knife out and used it,” Ms Russo said.
“His position is when he was arrested, the police were being particularly heavy-handed with him and he was clearly not happy about being arrested.
“He had taken a number of Valium tablets before getting to the shopping precinct. He has a long-standing history of drug misuse.
“He is under no illusions that he will receive a custodial sentence.”
Sheriff McCulloch jailed Robertson for 36 months.
