A man has been found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing his victim 11 times in a “frenzied” and “uncontrolled” attack.
Chay Ewing, 24, had denied attempting to murder the man at an address in The Meadows, Buckie, in the early hours of March 26 last year, instead claiming someone else was responsible.
But during a five-day trial at the High Court in Inverness, a jury heard evidence that not long after the attack Ewing told a witness: “I stabbed him up”.
In his speech to the jury before they retired to consider their verdict, advocate depute Shahid Latif said that, on that date, Ewing had commenced a course of criminal conduct that “culminated with a murderous attack”, during which he stabbed his victim 11 times and left him bleeding on the floor.
Mr Latif described the attack as “frenzied” and “uncontrolled”.
‘Don’t let me die’
When Ewing’s blood-soaked victim was found he pled with a friend “Don’t let me die” and told him: “He stabbed me.”
The jury had heard how the blood-stained friend frantically knocked on doors asking neighbours to call an ambulance for the stricken man as there was no telephone at the address.
Another witness told the court she could hear “moaning” as the victim’s friend sought help.
She also described how she saw the friend applying pressure to the man’s wounds following the stabbing.
The trial heard that in the lead-up to the attack the group, including Ewing and his victim, were socialising at the address.
However the atmosphere “became very hostile” following a discussion about families, during which Ewing told the victim he was “one of the McPhees”.
When police officers arrived at the scene and asked the victim who was responsible for his injuries, he replied: “McPhee”.
Defence advocate Bill Adam reminded jurors that the victim had given differing accounts of who was responsible for his injuries in the aftermath of the attack.
‘Blood on his hands’
He said there was only one person who had “blood on his hands” following the stabbing and that was the victim’s friend.
But a jury took around an hour and a half to reject this version of events and return a unanimous guilty verdict on the charge of attempted murder.
Ewing was also convicted of an assault and robbery that took place the previous evening on a bus between Fochabers and Buckie during which he punched a man and stole his phone.
Following the verdict, Judge Graham Buchanan heard that Ewing had “multiple previous convictions” including for assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement and for possession of a bladed weapon.
He told Ewing, whose address was given as a prisoner in Inverness: “You have been convicted of very serious matters, particularly charge three, which is a charge of attempted murder.
”You do have a significant record of previous convictions for all types of offences but particularly I suppose crimes of violence.
“That being so, I would have a very grave concern about the risk that you would pose to the general public if at liberty.”
He adjourned the hearing for the production of a pre-sentencing report and added: “It is inevitable that the sentence that will be imposed is one that includes a significant period of imprisonment.”
The case will call at the High Court in Aberdeen next month for sentencing.
