A 48-year-old man has been handed a lengthy prison sentence for a terrifying and unprovoked attack on two strangers aboard an intercity train, where he used a broken Buckfast bottle as a weapon.
'Wholly murderous' assault on busy service
The High Court in Glasgow heard how Thomas Craig launched a frenzied assault on a fellow passenger during a journey from Glasgow to Dundee on February 16 last year. In what a judge described as a "wholly murderous" attack, Craig pursued his victim through the carriage, striking him repeatedly on the head with a bottle until it shattered.
He then turned the broken neck of the bottle on the man, continuing the violent assault. When a second passenger, a friend of the initial victim, bravely intervened to help, Craig turned on him, stabbing him in the head and chest with the weapon.
Severe injuries and life-threatening blood loss
The court was told the consequences of the attack were grave. The second victim suffered a wound perilously close to his heart. The assault resulted in him losing more than two litres of blood, a life-threatening amount that required urgent medical attention.
Following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in November, Craig was found guilty. He was convicted of assaulting the first man to the danger of his life and the more serious charge of attempting to murder the second man.
Extended sentence handed down
Craig returned to court for sentencing on Monday, where Lord Arthurson imposed an extended sentence designed to protect the public. The judge ordered Craig to serve 12 years behind bars, followed by a further three years of supervision upon his eventual release.
The case, investigated by the British Transport Police, highlights the severe repercussions of violent crime on the rail network. The extended sentence reflects the court's view of the extreme danger Craig posed during the random and brutal incident.
