Ross man accused of stabbing friend in face
AN East Ross man told a court that he was mourning the death of his dog when he was suddenly stabbed in the face by one his best friends.
On trial at Tain Sheriff Court accused of the knifing in Invergordon is Michael Cope, described as a prisoner at Inverness, whose original trial in June was stopped after two days of evidence for legal reasons.
Cope (37) denies on March 9 at 30 Kilmuir Place, Invergordon, assaulting Brian O’Donnell by striking with a knife to the face to his injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.
Giving evidence before Sheriff David Sutherland and the jury, Mr O’Donnell described how he had been grieving on the first anniversary of the loss of his dog in the kitchen of a friend’s house when Cope came in.
Mr O’Donnell told the court he had been having a "wee moment" cuddling his then girlfriend Leanne Christie at the kitchen sink when Cope entered the house through the kitchen door off the back garden.
Mr O’Donnell said he told Cope to get himself a drink and when Cope asked him what was up he explained about his dog.
"Mick (Cope) said it’s just a dog, f.....g get over it," said Mr O’Donnell who reacted by telling Cope to "f... off."
Mr O’Donnell said Cope then picked up a kitchen knife from a draining board on the kitchen sink and struck him on his left cheek.
There were several friends gathered in the house drinking and Mr O’Donnell said the householder, Mary Young, patched him up while his girlfriend phoned the police and Cope disappeared out the back door.
He was taken to Raigmore Hospital.
"They were wanting to keep me in but I just wanted go. Everything was alright. They gave me a CT scan," he added.
Mr O’Donnell said Cope dropped the knife on the worktop.
Depute fiscal Roderick Urquhart asked him what his reaction would be if it was put to him that he had impaled himself on the knife.
"No. Not at all," he replied.
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He said he was stabbed by Cope and although he had been drinking that day his recollection was quite clear.
He also denied that himself and Ms Christie were having a fight when Cope came in.
Cross-examined by defence solicitor Graham Mann, Mr O’Donnell said earlier that day he had attended the court in Dingwall to meet Ms Christie.
The solicitor claimed she was in court after being arrested for failing to turn up as a witness against him but Mr O’Donnell said he didn’t know why she was there.
Mr Mann suggested he had lots of arguments with Ms Christie and Mr O’Donnell agreed.
But he denied when Cope arrived there was a heated exchange going on between him and Ms Christie.
Mr O’Donnell said Cope had gone with him to the vet to put his dog down. "I was in tears that day. He was a rock. He’s been a friend all my life. I don’t know what happened. It took him a second to do it.
"He might have had a bad day. I don’t know."
Mary Young (44), who now lives in Westford, Alness, said there had been a group of friends at her home on the day of the incident. Ms Christie was her lodger.
She said she was in the living room when Cope came in.
"I saw Mick pick up the knife from the draining board."
Asked by the fiscal if she saw what he did next she said: "Mick moved forward. He dropped the knife and went back out again.
"Brian came through and he was bleeding. I got a towel first of all then the first aid equipment."
Asked if it was possible Mr O’Donnell was accidentally injured. She replied: "No."
Anthony Atkins, of Kilmuir Place, who was in living room of Ms Young’s house said Mr O’Donnell was having "wee moment" to himself at the sink because of the death of his dog but he couldn’t remember if Ms Christie was with him.
He said "Mick" got the knife from the draining board and stuck it into Brian on the left side of the face the put it back on the draining board.
Mr Mann ask if it was possible what he had told the court was what he had been told by other people. "No," he replied. "It’s what I saw."
The trial continues.
