A bitter fall-out between two brothers ended in a bloody knife fight in the middle of a Dundee street.
An off-duty police officer sprang into action to try to stop Liam Smith – who had blood running down his face – from attacking his brother Reece in the Douglas area of the city.
His brother was left with a serious injury to his ring finger after being struck with a blade.
Liam Smith has been warned he faces prison stint pleading guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to causing severe injury by assaulting his brother on September 22 2022.
Knife fight
The police officer was visiting a relative on Banchory Road just before 10am when the chaos unfolded in the street.
Fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie said: “She heard commotion and looked outside and saw the complainer and accused arguing in the street.
“The accused had blood on his face.
“He returned from the close in possession of a knife.
“They were still arguing and he repeatedly tried to strike the complainer but he managed to get on top of the accused and tried to remove the knife from his possession.
“The complainer was also in possession of a knife.
“The accused struck the complainer to the left hand causing an injury to the ring finger.”
The police officer ran outside and urged Smith, of Pitalpin Court, to stop but he continued to attack his brother.
‘I’m going to jail aren’t I?’
Smith eventually chased his brother along Ballindean Road.
A resident found the handle from a knife in the close but Smith picked it up and ran off.
Police traced him near St Pius Primary School and he claimed his brother had been throwing bricks at him.
The fiscal said that while being taken to Ninewells for treatment for his head injury, Smith said: “I took it too far. He came at me.
“I took a knife and I overdone it. I’m going to jail aren’t I?”
Smith, 28, required seven stitches to his forehead and his brother required plastic surgery for his finger injury and had his arm placed in a cast.
Life changes
Defence solicitor Billy Watt said his client has experienced significant changes in his life since this incident.
He said Smith had undertaken a rehabilitation programme for alcohol and substance misuse in Glasgow and is now engaging with addiction services and the Street Soccer scheme.
Sheriff Paul Brown deferred sentence until June for reports to be prepared.
He said: “I will continue your bail but you must understand that you need to prepare yourself on the next occasion because I will be looking at a custodial sentence here.”
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