Jealous boyfriend tried to murder 'love rival' with samurai sword

Court: French was jailed for the attempted murder.

A jealous boyfriend tried to murder a suspected love rival in a samurai sword attack.

Sean French struck Kieran Goodbrand on the leg and hand with the weapon at the victim’s home in North Lanarkshire.

The attacker went to the house armed with the sword after hearing that his girlfriend may have been cheating on him with Mr Goodbrand.

He also seriously assaulted Mr Goodbrand’s friend Liam McGarrell when he turned up at the home having been told that his 21-year-old partner Shelley Williamson had been at a party there.

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday 20-year-old French was jailed for six years for the attack in Coatbridge on June 26 last year.

French, of Glasgow’s Castlemilk, pushed a weights bench on top of Mr Goodbrand, 25, as his victim lay on the floor following the samurai sword attack.

The court heard the attacker then repeatedly struck 18-year-old Mr McGarrell on the head and feet with the sword. As a result of the attempted murder, Mr Goodbrand suffered fractured fingers, and nerves and tendons in his hands were cut. He also had two fractures to his right leg and had to had five bolts put into his knee.

French’s victim can no longer run any distance and finds kneeling difficult and his right leg is numb in places. Mr Goodbrand also cannot form a fist with his right hand and has been unable to return to his job as a painter and decorator. The court heard Mr McGarrell suffered an injury to his head and his left ankle in the attack.

Defence advocate Allan MacLeod said his client had been drinking excessively on the day of the attack. Mr MacLeod told the court French's partner Miss Williamson was due to give birth in eight weeks' time.

Mr MacLeod added: "Mr French is a man who has always presented himself to his legal representatives as a polite, courteous and punctual young man - it is quite the opposite of the image that one may form of him from listening to the circumstances surrounding this offence. This offence was caused by excessive drinking and he expresses remorse for what has happened.”

Sentencing, Lady Stacey told French: "This is very serious. You are a threat to public safety and I must deal with you accordingly. I will sentence you to six years detention and you will be subject to a period of supervision for two years following your release from prison."

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