JAMES THOMSON SENTENCED FOR BRUTAL EDINBURGH ASSAULT AND KNIFE OFFENSES
On 9 February 2024, during a preliminary hearing at the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh, James Thomson admitted guilt to a serious assault that resulted in severe injury, permanent disfigurement, and lasting impairment.Additionally, he pleaded guilty to a violation of section 49(1) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) Act 1995, which pertains to carrying a knife in a public place.
The court proceedings on that day culminated in a sentencing hearing held on 9 March 2024, where Lord Doherty delivered the judgment.
Thomson was sentenced to an extended term of seven years’ imprisonment for the assault, comprising a four-year custodial sentence followed by a three-year extension period.
Furthermore, he received an additional six months’ imprisonment for the knife-related offense.
The court also ordered Thomson to serve 450 days of an unexpired sentence from a previous conviction, which was to be served prior to the commencement of his current sentences.
This order effectively stacked his sentences, ensuring that the earlier sentence would be completed first.
Lord Doherty’s sentencing statement was detailed and stern.
He described the assault as unprovoked and terrifying, involving Thomson arming himself with a knife and launching a brutal attack on a defenseless young woman.
The victim was slashed across her face, resulting in a wound approximately two to three inches long, extending from the right side of her lip along her right cheek.
The injury penetrated through fat and muscle tissue, with the deepest part reaching inside her mouth, which was cut for about one centimeter.
The wound required over twenty stitches to close and is expected to leave a visible scar, along with altered sensation or numbness in the affected area.
The impact statement from the victim highlighted the lasting physical and psychological trauma caused by the attack.
She has suffered permanent disfigurement and significant emotional distress, which has also affected her financial stability due to the impact on her business earnings.
Thomson’s criminal history includes two previous convictions, both of which bear similarities to his current offenses.
On 10 October 2020, he pleaded guilty at Glasgow High Court to an assault causing severe injury and danger to life, using a screwdriver as the weapon.
The original sentence for that offense was four years and three months, but it was reduced to three years and ten months due to his guilty plea.
At the time of the recent offenses, Thomson was on license from that sentence.
His second prior conviction was at Alloa Sheriff Court, where he was convicted of contravening section 49(1) of the 1995 Act, involving a knife, and received a concurrent sentence of four months’ imprisonment.
In considering Thomson’s case, the court took into account the Criminal Justice Social Work Report and the arguments presented on his behalf.
It was noted that Thomson may have experienced trauma himself, and that he was nearly 25 years old at the time of his plea, placing him in the category of young adults under the sentencing guidelines.
Despite this, the court emphasized that both his culpability and the harm caused were significant.
The purposes of sentencing—public protection, punishment, and disapproval of criminal behavior—necessitated a substantial custodial sentence.
Thomson had committed the current offenses just over six months after being released on license, with an unserved portion of 505 days from his previous sentence.
The court ordered his return to prison under section 16 of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 for 450 days, which would be served prior to and in conjunction with his new sentences.
Given Thomson’s criminal record, the circumstances of the assault, and the risk assessment, the court deemed an extended sentence necessary to safeguard the public from serious harm.
The primary sentence for the assault was set at ten years, consisting of a four-year custodial period and a three-year extension.
However, due to his early guilty plea, the custodial term was reduced to five years and three months.
Since Thomson had been on remand since 17 April 2023, the custodial period was further reduced to four years.
Consequently, the final sentence for the assault was an extended term of seven years, with four years in custody and a three-year extension.
For the knife offense, being his second conviction for carrying a weapon in public, the court initially set an eight-month sentence.
This was discounted to six months to reflect his early plea.
The sentence for this offense was ordered to run consecutively to the sentence for the assault, emphasizing the seriousness of carrying a weapon in a public place prior to committing the attack.
