Knife attack yob jailed for 4 years

A KNIFE-wielding butcher who carried out a drunken, drug-fuelled attack on a shop manager has been jailed for four years.

Rafal Swiderski, 21, had previously been imprisoned for three months for holding a nurse prisoner with a knife in her home in Broxburn, West Lothian.

He was yesterday returned to jail by judge Lord Bannatyne at the High Court, who described Swiderski's previous conviction for breach of the peace as "utterly shocking".

Swiderski, 21, came to Scotland from Poland in March last year and frequently binged on alcohol and amphetamines, suffering hallucinations as a result. He was first imprisoned after taking nurse Mary Johnston hostage at her home in Broxburn on May 22 last year. On that occasion, police armed with rubber bullets and a Tazer finally ended the siege after Swiderski barricaded himself and Ms Johnston in her bedroom, armed with a knife he had taken from her kitchen.

After being released, Swiderski went on to torture shop manager Danny Quinney, 22, at Haldanes in East Main Street, Broxburn on February 19.

After the second attack Ms Johnston criticised the leniency of his first sentence, saying his second victim could have been spared if Swiderski had been imprisoned for longer, or deported.

Jailing Swiderski at the High Court yesterday, Lord Bannatyne told him: "In my view this was a very nasty offence. It involved a wholly unprovoked attack on the manager of a supermarket in the course of his duties. It involved the use of a weapon."

The judge said Swiderski should remain on licence for an extra three years after his prison term to protect the public.

The court heard that he had dragged Mr Quinney around the store, stabbed him twice and spat vodka in his face.

Advocate depute Michael Stuart, prosecuting, said a customer saw Swiderski walking in and out of the supermarket's storeroom with an open can of beer in his hand, and called for shop staff. He seemed drunk and had blood on his face, hands and clothing.

As Mr Quinney approached Swiderski to see if he could help, Swiderski shouted "Beer!" and held a knife towards the shop manager and again aggressively demanded beer.

Mr Stuart described how Swiderski had run the knife along the back of Mr Quinney's neck. He added: "The accused then began to pace across the floor in front of Mr Quinney before walking up to (him] and again stabbing him, in the right thigh."

Customers and shop staff called police who came into the shop and drew their batons. Swiderski dropped his knife and was led away in handcuffs.

When searched, Swiderski was found to have self-inflicted cuts to both his arms and seemed to be having hallucinations. He needed 19 sutures and tranquillisers to calm him down.

Mr Quinney needed a total of five sutures to the wounds on his legs but will be scarred for life, the court heard. Swiderski pleaded guilty, and solicitor advocate Ewen Roy, defending, said his early life in Poland had been blighted by his father's drinking and beating up his mother. He had no recollection of attacking Mr Quinney but was genuinely sorry.