A pensioner was jailed for nine years yesterday after trying to murder his daughter’s former partner in a shocking street axe attack.
Masked John Quantrell ambushed Christopher Willett outside his workplace in Aberdeen’s Torry area in September 2017.
The 65-year-old smashed a car window with the weapon before repeatedly striking Christopher Willett, who was in a passenger seat, with the hatchet.
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A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh told Quantrell: “It is clear, on the evidence, you had a deep animosity towards Christopher Willett.”
Lord Clark said at the High Court in Edinburgh, who has previous convictions for dishonesty, public disorder, assault and robbery: “You struck him four times with the axe.
“One blow was to his head.”
“There is no alternative to a substantial custodial sentence.”
The judge also ordered that Quantrell should be kept under supervision for a further two-year period.
Quantrell had earlier denied attempting to murder Mr Willett, 36, on September 11 in 2017 at Mansfield Road and Sinclair Road in Aberdeen.
But a jury found him guilty of the murder bid, while acting with another, by approaching the car Mr Willett was in and smashing the window, resulting on glass hitting the victim.
They found he then repeatedly struck his victim on the head and body to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.
Jurors deleted a further allegation that he drove a car at speed towards Mr Willett and hit him with the vehicle, throwing him in the air before he landed on the ground and was rendered unconscious.
Mr Willett, who had a relationship with Quantrell’s daughter up to 2015, was attacked as he left his workplace at Trojan Crates in Torry.
He said as he entered a car with a colleague there was a “bang” against the vehicle and he told his workmate that it had been hit by another car.
A man left the other vehicle and came round to the passenger side leaving him thinking some sort of road rage incident was taking place.
Man found guilty of trying to kill daughter’s ex-boyfriend with axe on Aberdeen street
“The next thing I know the window is starting to get hit,” he said during his evidence to the High Court.
The window pane was smashed and his attacker swung four blows with the weapon at him.
Mr Willett said that he thought if he stayed where he was he was dead and managed to get out of the car.
After removing his attacker’s hood and scarf he realised his assailant was Quantrell.
He later remembered waking up in the street being treated by paramedics.
Defence counsel David Moggach said Quantrell maintained that the incident stemmed from “a chance meeting”.
He said: “It was not premeditated. He did not go out of his way to find Mr Willett. It was simply a coincidence.
Man goes on trial accused of attempting to murder daughter’s ex-boyfriend on Aberdeen street
Mr Moggach said Quantrell had “quite a colourful past” and was previously imprisoned but his last assault conviction was more than 20 years ago.
The defence counsel said the murder bid was “a one off incident” and argued that Quantrell did not pose a risk to the general public, although he accepted a prison sentence for the latest offence was inevitable.
