Two attackers who cut off a man’s fingers in a “sadistic” assault have each been jailed for seven years.
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Craig Jackson, 29, and Connor McDougall, 30, dragged Gerald Tobin into a bedroom, held his hand on the floor and used a samurai sword or long knife to sever two of his fingers.
Judge Lord Harrower described the attack at Mr Tobin’s home as a “barbaric act of assault” that “partially dismembered his hand”.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard the attackers were guests at the victim’s house, where Jackson had been staying.
After drink and drugs had been consumed, the pair believed Mr Tobin had “carried out some sort of offence”.
Lord Harrower stated what “began as a convivial evening, turned nasty” to which both Jackson and McDougall “decided to inflict a cruel and sadistic punishment” upon Mr Tobin.
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‘You have partially dismembered his hand’
The judge said: “I assess the level of culpability of each of you for this horrific crime as very high.
“It was a planned attack in the victim’s own home, carried out under the influence of drink and drugs.
“Although the victim of your crime claimed not to be able to remember what had happened to him, on any objective view of the evidence, the level of harm was also high.
“You have partially dismembered his hand. He will be permanently disfigured and permanently impaired in the carrying out of everyday tasks.”
The attack occurred in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, on 16 May 2022.
Weapons brought to the flat were not produced in evidence but were described by a witness as two samurai swords or long knives.
McDougall was said to have pinned Mr Tobin’s hand down while Jackson struck him with a blade.
As Mr Tobin attempted to escape, Jackson punched him, causing the victim to fall and hit his head on the floor.
Jackson and McDougall were convicted of abducting, detaining and assaulting Mr Tobin to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
The pair, who were on bail at the time of the incident, were sentenced on Tuesday.
Both Jackson and McDougall were handed 10-year extended sentences, with seven years in jail and three years on licence once released back into the community.
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Defence counsel Colin Neilson, for McDougall, said the father-of-three was aware that alcohol and drugs acted as triggers for his offending.
Lord Harrower accepted that Jackson had shown “genuine remorse” and McDougall “some degree of insight”, but the pair were said to have “prolific” criminal records and deemed a “maximum risk” to the public.
The judge stated that the attackers’ families will also be affected by their prison sentences.
He added: “They have taken an active interest in these proceedings, which is very much to their credit.
“The hurt that you will have caused them and will continue to cause them is something for which you will also have to take responsibility.”
