Woman in court after street scissor attack

Published on Wednesday 3 September 2008 01:53

A WOMAN was stabbed in the leg with a pair of scissors in a random attack in a busy city centre street, a court heard yesterday.

Linda MacFarlane, a music student, was walking in Edinburgh when she was grabbed by Kimberley Finnigan, who plunged a large pair of nail scissors into her thigh.

Ms MacFarlane did not realise she had been stabbed until she saw blood pouring from a hole in her trouser leg.

Yesterday, Finnigan pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to assaulting and injuring Ms MacFarlane and leaving her permanently scarred during the attack on 5 June.

The court was told she had stepped in front of her victim to stop her crossing Leith Street.

Finnigan, who was on bail at the time for other offences, grabbed the woman by the shoulder and stabbed her on the left leg.

The accused, who had previous convictions for assault and robbery and assault to injury, was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month.

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre said: "You must be aware that custody is a very real possibility."