A drug addict who mugged a stranger in Dundee city centre and stabbed him repeatedly with a screwdriver has been jailed for more than three-and-a-half years.
Terry Barr, who lost his left leg through chronic substance misuse, set upon his victim behind the Keiller Shopping Centre after watching him withdraw money from a cashpoint.
His target Alexander Russell was lucky to escape with his life, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
Barr, 32, admitted assaulting and robbing Mr Russell to his injury on October 17, last year, while acting with another man.
He tried to punch and struggled with his victim before placing him in a headlock, restricting his breathing.
When Mr Russell managed to get away, Barr and the other man gave chase.
They seized him and pulled him to the ground, before repeatedly stabbing him with a screwdriver.
The victim was straddled, punched in the face, stabbed in the hand and throttled.
Barr and his accomplice robbed Mr Russell of his wallet, including cash and bank cards, as well as his keys, mobile phone and two e-cigarettes.
He was jailed for 43 months and will be placed on supervision for a year when he is released.
‘Cowardly’ assault
Sheriff William Wood told Barr: “This was a very cowardly attack on a young man who was a stranger to you, who was just going about his normal business.
“Although he was plainly aware of the potential threat that you posed to him, he felt that threat had gone away by the time he withdrew money from the cashpoint.
“Unfortunately, that was not the case.”
The sheriff said: “You followed him and attacked him with a considerable amount of violence.
“I suspect it was more by luck than by judgement that the only injuries suffered were on his hands and arms, rather than something more serious that may have caused him substantial injury or even threatened his life.”
He told Barr: “You have a record of violence, often involving weapons and it seems you are not yet getting the message that that sort of behaviour isn’t appropriate.”
High on valium
Solicitor Linda Clark, defending, said her client had been on remand since November last year.
“He has accepted full responsibility for his behaviour,” she told the court.
“There has been some genuine reflection regarding this incident.
“He knows that his acts of violence were unacceptable.”
Ms Clark said: “On this occasion, he had taken valium on top of prescription medication.
“His recollection of the sequence of events on this day is unclear.
“Mr Barr is apologetic to the victim of his assault and he hopes that he has made a full recovery.”
The court heard that Barr had battled substance misuse issues from an early age.
“His left leg was amputated as a result of ongoing drug issues,” said Ms Clark.
“He says that at one point he was effectively overdosing on a daily basis.”
The solicitor added: “He has been in no doubt that a custodial sentence is inevitable.”
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