Beggar jailed for knife attack that left man with neck injury after street confrontation

A beggar who inflicted a potentially life-threatening injury on a man in a knife attack on a busy city centre street has been jailed for four years.

William Hawkins wounded the man on the neck with the weapon after the pair got into a confrontation that was captured on CCTV.

The 39-year-old prisoner in Perth jail, admitted to assaulting the man to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life on October 10 last year at Reform Street, in Dundee, by striking him on the neck with a knife.

A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: “This conviction comes against a background of a lengthy history of previous offending.”

Lady Haldane pointed out that Hawkins’ earlier convictions included robbery and possession of weapons. The judge said: “Your pattern of offending is therefore persistent, seemingly entrenched and escalating.”

Lady Haldane said that Hawkins’ reaction in using the knife to cut the victim on the neck was “a wholly disproportionate reaction” to the events.

The court heard that Hawkins has a lengthy record of offending, including crimes of dishonesty, violence and disorder and was previously jailed, but his latest crime had resulted in his first prosecution in the High Court.

Unemployed Hawkins was staying in council-run accommodation for homeless people at the time of the attack on the man.

Hawkins was begging in the area, which was busy, when the victim saw him and approached him as he sat on the ground. There had been an altercation between the two men two weeks before.

Hawkins stood up as a confrontation occurred, and they argued before the blow with the knife was struck. The victim was left bleeding from his neck, and members of the public, who could see he was injured, tried to help.

Police were called and observed that the victim had a neck injury, which was later assessed to be potentially life-threatening.

The court heard that Hawkins had “a chaotic lifestyle” at the time of the knife attack.

Defence solicitor advocate Billy Watt said Hawkins had acted “impulsively and disproportionately” but added: “This was not a premeditated attack.”

He said: “There was no pursuit. There were no repeated strikes. There was no continuation of violence after that single strike.”

He said a background report prepared on Hawkins painted a picture of someone who has “lived much of his life on the margins of society”.

Mr Watt said Hawkins had ongoing mental health problems and has suffered from long-term homelessness.

He told the court: “He is remorseful and absolutely understands the potential consequences his actions could have had.”