An Inverness man yesterday admitted his part in a stabbing incident in an affluent suburb of Inverness.
Barry Lawless, 37, repeatedly struck Paul Lewis on the head with a knife during a row involving the men and two women in Westhill.
Lawless, described as an Inverness prisoner, will be sentenced next month at Inverness Sheriff Court.
He had been kept in custody since early February when he was arrested following the incident at 9 Woodside Place on February 7 this year.
His co-accused, Margo Stewart, in whose house the assault took place, had her plea of not guilty to assaulting Kelly Edgar accepted.
Lawless admitted assaulting Mr Lewis to his severe injury while he was on two bail orders.
Mr Lewis was in court when Lawless pleaded guilty to the offence and waved to Lawless as he was led out of court by G4S security staff.
Fiscal Roderick Urquhart told the court that Mr Lewis’s girlfriend Kelly Edgar was in the house in Woodside Place about 9pm when she phoned her boyfriend.
Mr Urquhart went on: “She said she was in Miss Stewart’s house and ‘I am in trouble. Can you come and get me?’
“Paul Lewis arrived at the house and Miss Stewart said to come in. There was a struggle or a fight between Kelly Edgar and Margo Stewart and it was not clear if Lawless was in the room at the time.
“But he arrived in the room and armed himself with a knife. Paul Lewis grabbed the knife and in the process cut the tip of his finger.
“A struggle ensued and he was struck several times on the head with the knife. He suffered two cuts, one of 3cms in length and the other 5cms in length.
“They required to be closed with 14 staples.”
Defence lawyer Willie Young reserved his comments after Sheriff Margaret Neilson decided to call for a background report before sentencing Lawless.
He will appear again on July 8.
