Prisoner jailed for over five years after slashing throat of inmate at Edinburgh's Saughton prison

A prisoner who attempted to murder another inmate by cutting his throat has been jailed for a further five and a half years.

John Etchells, 31, slashed his fellow inmate in the neck when he was playing football at an exercise yard at Edinburgh’s Saughton jail before telling prison officers: “I’ll not be threatened by any rodent”.

Etchells, who has a history of violence inside and outside the prison system, later said in a call: “I tried to kill the boy too, but didn’t get it.”

He is currently serving an Order for Lifelong Restriction, and a judge ordered that his latest sentence should begin from May 6 in 2028, which is the earliest date he could apply for parole under the indeterminate sentence.

Etchells, who is currently in HMP Grampian, admitted attempting to murder the victim at the prison on June 1 last year after approaching him from behind and striking him on the neck with a knife to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement, and to the danger of his life.

He also pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a knife.

Advocate depute Leanne Cross told Lord Stuart: “The accused has several pages of previous convictions, many of which involve serious violence.”

His convictions include offences of attempted murder, serious assault, and weapon possession.

She said that prior to the attack, the victim was playing football in the yard, and Etchells was standing at the benches outside the yard.

The prosecutor said: “While the complainer was still playing football, the accused entered the exercise yard and approached the complainer from behind.”

“The accused removed an item from his pocket. He then cut the complainer’s throat from left to right before backing away towards the rear of the exercise yard,” she said.

The victim was seen holding his neck and was shouting that he had been slashed. Officers saw his neck quickly become covered in blood.

Help was immediately sought, and one of the officers saw Etchells place what he believed was a knife down his trousers.

Etchells claimed that he had “chucked” the knife, but then suggested he had hidden it internally. He later handed over a ceramic blade, which was broken into pieces.

Prison officers applied pressure to the wound sustained by the victim and he was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was found to have suffered significant blood loss and a cut from the middle of his neck to the right ear.

A consultant said the injury posed a real danger to life due to blood loss, but that was managed quickly and effectively by prison staff, ambulance personnel, and accident and emergency staff.

Police investigating the attack seized a recording of a phone call made by Etchells in which he said: “Don’t expect me home soon. I’m up for slaying somebody’s throat again.”