Man left woman scarred in meat cleaver attack while on bail after being told to leave Fife house party

A man left a woman with “highly visible scarring” after striking her in the face with a meat cleaver during a murder bid at her home.

Logan Docherty turned up at the flat armed with the weapon and before launching the attack was heard shouting: “I’m going to chop yous up.”

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Docherty was kicking at the door of the property in Stationhead Road, Lochgelly, in Fife, when Adele Jenkins went to it with her brother Ben to try and get him to stop as there were three children in the flat.

Advocate depute Leanne McQuillan said: “He swung the meat cleaver in their direction and struck Adele Jenkins in the face.”

“She held a cloth over her face to try and stop the bleeding and Ben Jenkins called the police. Police and ambulance attended,” said the prosecutor.

She said the attack victim was taken to hospital in Kirkcaldy where she was seen to have a deep laceration from her forehead, alongside the bridge of her nose and cutting through the full depth of her top lip, exposing her front teeth.

The advocate depute said: “The laceration was surgically sutured in an attempt to minimise scarring, but she will have permanent and highly visible scarring.”

Police forced entry to Docherty’s address and found him asleep in bed after the attack. The meat cleaver was discovered behind a television in the living room.

Docherty, 23, admitted assaulting the 31-year-old victim to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement and attempting to murder her on September 10 this year by striking her on the head with a meat cleaver.

The court heard that Docherty, who was jailed for 18 months in 2018 for assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement and impairment, had been freed on bail the previous month at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

The advocate depute said that he lived directly across the road from the scene of the murder bid and was an acquaintance of the victim.

She said on September 9, Docherty had been out in Cowdenbeath drinking with friends, including Ben Jenkins. They went on to Dunfermline without him.

In the early hours of September 10 they returned to his sister’s flat. “When the group arrived there the accused was already in the flat and was intoxicated,” said Ms McQuillan.

She said: “At about 5.30 Adele Jenkins asked the accused to leave because he was annoying the others.”

She said he was removed from the flat but returned a short time later armed with the meat cleaver and launched the attack.

A judge told Docherty: “You have pled guilty to a charge of attempted murder aggravated by the fact this crime was carried out while you were on bail.”

Lord Young said that because of the seriousness of the offence and the age of the offender he would call for a background report before sentencing Docherty.

Docherty was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on February 7 at the High Court in Paisley.