ABERDEEN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO THREATENING FORMER FRIEND WITH A KNIFE AND CAUSING NECK INJURIES
Stewart Stoddard, a 42-year-old man from Menzies Road in Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to slashing the neck of his former friend, Robert Muirhead, in the middle of the street on May 14 of the previous year.The attack left Mr.
Muirhead injured and with a permanent disfigurement.
During the incident, Stoddard confronts Mr.
Muirhead, who was on Whyterose Terrace in Methil, and made a threatening comment about him informing others that he was a sex offender.
He then swung a pocket knife, approximately a couple of inches long, towards Mr.
Muirhead and struck him with it, causing a four to five centimeters long laceration on his neck.
After the attack, Stoddard ominously warned, "Next time it’ll be your jugular." Mr.
Muirhead managed to ask a passerby to call police and paramedics.
The court heard that the knife was a penknife, not a craft knife as initially described.
Stewart Stoddard admitted to assaulting Mr.
Muirhead by threatening to kill him and striking him on the neck with the knife.
His defense solicitor, David McLaughlin, pointed out the size of the blade and emphasized the seriousness of the charge.
The sheriff deferred the sentence for a social work report and restriction of liberty order assessment.
Stoddard is due back in court in four weeks, with the possibility of jail time.
The court case highlights the violent confrontation and the threats called out by Stoddard, underscoring the severity of his actions and the potential legal consequences he faces.
