A thug who stabbed a convicted killer and his family insisted he was “not a threat to anyone” as he was jailed for 10 years yesterday.
Matthew Boyle insists he was trying to defend himself when he lashed out at John Gallagher and his wife, Sylvia, and daughter, Charlie.
But a jury found the 42-year-old guilty of attempted murder after a week-long trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
Mr and Mrs Gallagher had travelled to the city from their home in Inverness on the day of the incident to visit their daughter, and ended up at a charity night at a pub in Tillydrone.
But as they were about to make their way home, Boyle stabbed them during a row over a series of vulgar comments made towards Miss Gallagher.
The family claim the attack ruined their lives, and Mr Gallagher – who was jailed for murder and attempting to kill a police officer more than 30 years ago – has previously said he did not think Boyle could ever be rehabilitated.
Yesterday, Boyle appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing.
Judge Lord Burns said there no other option but to impose a lengthy custodial sentence, and put him on a four year supervision order following his release.
He said: “I accept that you did not go out on that evening looking for trouble.
“However, you found a weapon and you inflicted terrible injuries upon your victims.
“Given the circumstances of this offence, I must impose an extended sentence.”
But as he was led back to the cells, Boyle started shouting and swearing, insisting he was not a “threat to anyone” and had been “defending” himself.
During the six-day trial, the jury heard Boyle lashed out after Mr Gallagher challenged his friend Kevin Deans for making “foul-mouthed and filthy” jibes at his daughter.
The attack, which happened in the pub car park, left 64-year-old Mr Gallagher with a punctured lung and he is still unable to close his eye after his face was sliced open.
Mrs Gallagher, 55, was in hospital for days after congealed blood built up in her lung, while 30-year-old Miss Gallagher was stabbed in the abdomen.
Following the brutal attack, Boyle – who has a string of previous convictions – fled to his home in Aberdeen’s Portal Crescent.
He was caught by police who were standing outside his flat, as they overheard him confessing to the attacks over the building’s intercom system.
Deans, 40, had also been accused of attempted murder, but the charges were dropped by the Crown and he was only convicted of making indecent comments towards Miss Gallagher.
In 1979, Mr Gallagher and David Cochrane were jailed for life after beating 64-year-old butcher Thomas Woods to death with iron bars for the sake of less than £100.
They also tried to kill Brian Coppins, an off-duty policeman pal of Mr Woods, in the attack in Gallowgate, Glasgow.
Mr Gallagher was once held in Barlinnie’s notorious special unit, and in 1984 led a rooftop protest at Peterhead over conditions.
In January 1988, he went on hunger strike with armed robber Sammy “The Bear” Ralston in the cages at Porterfield Prison in Inverness.
He has since tried to help prisoners rehabilitate themselves and prepare for life after their sentences.
