Man jailed for seven years over Port Glasgow stabbing rampage

A MAN who ran amok with a knife and brought terror to afternoon shoppers was jailed for seven years yesterday.Patrick Jardine, 38, caused serious injuries to one man, stabbed another, and tried to wound a third in a 20-minute spree of random violence in Dubbs Road, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde.

At one stage, staff shut the doors of a supermarket to try to keep customers safe.

A court heard that Jardine had been depressed at the death of his mother and had taken 25 tranquillisers on top of a bottle of vodka. He remembered nothing of the incidents or why he had attacked people who were complete strangers.

Lord Brailsford told Jardine that only his plea of guilty had saved him from a prison term of ten years.

Jardine, of Broadfield Avenue, Port Glasgow, admitted assaulting and attempting to murder Joe Hagan, 41, assaulting John McIntyre, 36, to his injury, and attempting to stab Paul McElwee, 28, on 28 August last year.

The area was very busy with people shopping at about 3:20pm, said the advocate- depute, Hugh Irwin.

Mr Hagan approached the shops and, without any warning, Jardine walked up to him and stabbed him once to the stomach. He initially thought he had been punched, but quickly realised he was injured. He asked two teenage girls sitting on a wall for help and they called the police and an ambulance.

Closed circuit television operators were instructed to focus on Jardine and the second and third offences were captured on film.

Mr McIntyre was talking to his mother and her partner outside the Co-operative store when Jardine approached him and stabbed him, said Mr Irwin.

Mr McElwee managed to get out of the way when Jardine lunged at him.