Teen jailed for stabbing man in the neck in row over phone

Matthew Owen, 19, was convicted of attempting to murder Ali Karimi, 23, in Glasgow's Drumchapel on July 13, 2018.

Teen jailed for stabbing man in the neck in row over phone Getty Images

A teenager who stabbed a man in the neck in a row over a phone has been jailed for six years.

Matthew Owen, 19, was convicted of attempting to murder Ali Karimi, 23, in Glasgow’s Drumchapel on July 13, 2018.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that the neck wound was less than a millimetre from Mr Karimi’s carotid artery.

During Owen’s sentencing on Tuesday, judge Tom Hughes told him: “You struck Mr Karimi in the neck.

“This could easily have had catastrophic consequences. This was pre-meditated. You brought the knife along with you.”

The court heard that Owen, who worked as a warehouseman, became involved after his cousin claimed her phone had been taken by Mr Karimi.

He turned up armed and attacked Mr Karimi, leaving the former barber scarred for life.

Mr Karimi said he was struck on the neck and on the face by his attacker, who allegedly said ‘I have to kill you’ or ‘I must kill you’, before running off.

During his trial Owen denied that he was the knifeman and claimed it was a case of mistaken identity.

Defence counsel Mark Moir said: “Mr Owen maintains the position he stated in court. He is a first offender.”

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