Dumbarton man jailed for stabbing party-goer

Nov 14 2008 Lennox Herald (main ed)

FAMILY man Ross Paris stabbed a party-goer in the back after accusing him of “coming on to” his girlfriend.

Ross Paris, 26, inflicted a 3cm-deep stab wound, and left the kitchen knife embedded in his 30-year-old victim’s back.

Last week, Paris appeared from custody at Dumbarton Sheriff Court and admitted striking the man on the body with a knife to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement at a house in Barnhill Road, Dumbarton, on August 10 this year.

Fiscal depute Sheila McDermid said Paris, his victim and a friend had been out drinking at Cheers and had then returned to the friend’s home at around 3.30am with Paris’ girlfriend and the friend’s sister.

Ms McDermid continued: “More alcohol was consumed and the complainer was speaking to the accused’s girlfriend about a carry-on with some girls in Cheers.

“The accused appeared and asked the complainer what he had been saying to his girlfriend and became aggressive towards the complainer.

“The complainer then turned to the accused’s girlfriend and said ‘Are you all right?’

“This was said in an innocent way. At that time, the accused lunged at the complainer, it appears that he thought the complainer was making suggestive remarks about his girlfriend and this led to a heated discussion.

The argument continued and the victim moved away into the hall but Paris followed, swung his arm and stabbed the man on the back.

Paris told police that he had been annoyed by the man’s behaviour towards women in the nightclub and claimed his victim made sexual comments about Paris’ girlfriend when they returned to the house.

Peter Young, defending, said: “My client has been quite consistent in telling me what he told police at an early stage.

“His perception was, and it in no way excuses what Mr Paris did, that the complainer had behaved in a sexually aggressive manner towards at least one woman in the club.

“And, in the house, his perception was that the complainer was coming onto his girlfriend.

“Mr Paris was concerned about that and picked up the knife, which was to hand, and carried out this act.

“He accepts a custodial sentence is inevitable in this case.”

Mr Young said that, while Paris had a previous high court conviction for firing an air gun at someone in 2000, he had been a useful citizen since then, had held down a job and had a stable family life.

Sheriff Simon Fraser told Paris: “You may have felt that your girlfriend’s honour was being besmirched, but the days when you could settle that dispute with cold hard steel are long gone.”

Paris was sentenced to 32 months in prison, backdated to August 11.