A university student knifed a classmate in a brutal murder bid at a safari park.
Christopher Blaikie stabbed Claire Mazzucchi in the neck as she sat eating lunch in March this year.
A judge heard how the pair both studying psychology at Stirling University had once been flatmates until Miss Mazzucchi felt uneasy living with Blaikie.
The 22 year-old luckily survived the unprovoked attack at Blair Drummond Safari Park near the city.
Blaikie, 24, was held for the stabbing and claimed he had struck due to “homicidal thoughts”.
The first offender now faces a lengthy jail term after he pleaded guilty to an attempted murder charge at the High Court in Glasgow.
Prosecutor Shirley McKenna told how students from the psychology course were giving a presentation to safari park staff on March 30 as part of their final-year dissertation.
Blaikie and Miss Mazzucchi were among the group.
The staff and students were later having lunch that day in the safari park canteen.
But the court heard Blaikie was very quiet and not eating. He then became “increasingly agitated” and started banging his cutlery.
He suddenly got up and marched across to Miss Mazzucchi’s table and stood behind her.
Miss McKenna told the court: “He was seen to put his right hand over her face and wrap his arms around her neck in a headlock position.
“He made two or three stabbing motions … whereby he stabbed her once of the left hand side of her neck with a knife.”
As other stunned students became aware of the horror, one jumped up and rugby tackled Blaikie.
As Miss Mazzucchi was rushed to hospital, Blaikie was arrested at the scene by police.
Blaikie, of Livingston, West Lothian, has since been diagnosed as suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome a form of autism.
Judge Lord Turnbull deferred sentencing for reports until January 18.