A TEENAGER became “angry” and repeatedly stabbed a stranger who called him Harry Potter during an early morning argument, a court has heard.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, lost his temper with Liam McKechnie, who was 21 at the time, at a bus stop in Princes Street, Edinburgh on March 17 2024.
A teen repeatedly stabbed a stranger who told him ‘Calm down Harry Potter’[/caption]
The high court in Edinburgh heard the youth was wearing ‘large spectacles’[/caption]
The high court in the city heard on Tuesday how the youth was wearing a “large pair of black rimmed spectacles” when he encountered Mr McKechnie.
Prosecutor Margaret Barron told the court how the pair became involved in a “verbal argument” moments before the teenager struck his victim with a blade he had been carrying.
Ms Barron told the court about the moment that Mr McKechnie made a reference to JK Rowling’s boy wizard.
She added: “The complainer said to the accused ‘calm down Harry Potter’ after which the altercation began.
“During this altercation, the accused removed a knife from his pocked and stabbed the complainer to the torso. At this point Mr McKechnie and his friends were unaware that he had been injured.
“Some people attempted to break up the scuffle and at some point a pair of glasses worn by the accused fell to the ground.
“The complainer felt a pain in his chest area and lifted up his top to reveal a stab wound to his torso. He showed the injury to his friends telling them he had been stabbed.”
The story emerged after the youth pleaded guilty to a charge which stated that he repeatedly struck Mr McKechnie on his body to “severe injury, permanent disfigurement, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life”.
Ms Barron told the court that Mr McKechnie and his friends had been on a night out and were standing at the bus stop at about 12.45am on March 17 last year.
She said that both he and the youth were “unknown to each other” when they met each other at around 12.47am.
The court heard that investigators were unable to discover what triggered the investigation but had managed to determine that Mr McKechnie made the reference to Harry Potter.
Ms Barron said a witness told detectives about the comment. Speaking about the witness, she said: “The witness stated.. the complainer called the accused Harry Potter which made the accused angry.”
Ms Barron added: “All witnesses describe the argument as becoming physical.”
The prosecution lawyer said the confrontation continued a short distance away from the bus stop – Mr McKechnie was then stabbed again.
Ms Barron said: “The accused and complainer began pushing and shoving each other until at 0055 hours, the complainer collapsed clutching his body. The accused had stabbed the complainer again inflicting two further injuries to the complainer’s torso.
“The accused then ran off towards Market Street. The complainer was heard to say ‘I can’t breathe.’”
Ms Barron told the court that an ambulance arrived soon afterwards and Mr McKechnie was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Hospital and doctors operated on him, removing his spleen.
Ms Barron added: “His injuries were of a severe nature and without the appropriate surgical intervention his life would have been at risk.
“He will be left with permanent scarring at the site of his injuries and also at the site of his operative wound. His injuries were consistent with having been caused by a sharp implement.”
Police launched an investigation and managed to identify the youth who was arrested on March 20 2024.
The court heard that the youth was a first offender. Defence solicitor advocate Iain McSporran KC asked judge Lord Cubie to continue bail for his client ahead of a sentencing hearing which will be held later this year.
He added: “If the court ever needed an illustration of the foolishness of carrying a knife in a public place then this case is it.
“He appreciates he is in the high court for a reason and that the court is considering a sentence of detention.”
Mr McSporran said that if granted bail, his client would be accompanied with his mother to an interview with a social worker appointed by the court to write a report into the youth’s background.
Mr McSporran added: “I would invite the court to have all sentencing options in mind.
“He is a very different young man to the very young man who committed this offence.”
Lord Cubie continued the youth’s bail and ordered a criminal justice social work report to be made available to the court.
He told the youth, who was wearing spectacles as he sat in the dock, not to “read anything” into the decision to grant him bail.
Lord Cubie added: “The nature of your crime to which you have been convicted of make it almost inevitable that you will receive a sentence of detention.
“I will continue bail but nothing should be read into that.”
The youth will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on April 1 2025.
