Stabbed cancer victim fears he may not recover

Apr 16 2008 By Our Court Reporter

A HAMILTON cancer victim fears he may never recover after being stabbed by a teenage thug who he believed had been terrorising him and his wife.

Archie and Susan Reid’s home in Woodhead Green had been targeted by yobs last December during a spate of incidents.

Fed-up Mr Reid later confronted 18-year-old Robert Campbell after he was spotted hiding in a garden.

But Campbell turned on the 54-year-old, who had just completed a gruelling bout of chemotherapy, and knifed him.

It later emerged the attack came on the same evening Campbell had robbed a schoolboy.

The High Court in Glasgow was told last week that Mr Reid is now worried that the assault will have caused the cancer to spread.

Campbell was remanded in custody after he admitted charges of attempted murder, assault and robbery.

The thug had first pounced on a 14-year-old boy as he walked along a lane near Forth Terrace around 9pm last December 13.

Campbell demanded that the youth hand over his mobile phone and money or he would ‘get done’.

Campbell took the phone before also snatching the boy’s chain and watch.

Around the same time, the Reids’ home in Woodhead Green was being targeted by eight yobs.

The court heard the couple had been “plagued” by such behaviour, which had escalated to their windows being smashed.

Frightened Mrs Reid (52), who was home alone at the time. telephoned her husband, who had been out helping relatives fix a car.

Dr Alistair Brown, prosecuting, said it was not suggested that Campbell had been one of the troublemakers as he was robbing the schoolboy at the time.

But when Mr Reid arrived, his wife saw Campbell hiding in a nearby garden and, thinking he had been involved, pointed him out.

Mr Reid — along with his brother-in-law Martin McInally — went to speak to Campbell, who denied involvement and began to cry.

Six more youths then stormed into the garden and one knocked Mr McInally to the ground.

Advocate depute Dr Brown said: “Mr Reid tried to pull him off McInally. While this was happening, the accused ran into the house and took a knife from the kitchen.

“He returned to the garden and stabbed Mr Reid in the side. He then took the knife back inside, washed it and returned it to the knife block.”

After the incident, unemployed Campbell went to his sister's flat and told a neighbour that he had ‘plunged a guy’.

Mr Reid was helped to hospital, where he had his bowel repaired and his spleen removed.

The court heard that the victim, who suffers from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, is now on antibiotics for life and is more vulnerable to certain infections.

Dr Brown added: “The injury inflicted by the accused, and its continuing consequences in terms of medication, are for him even more of a problem than they would ordinarily be.

“He is concerned that the stabbing and the surgery might speed up the spread of cancer.”

The court was also told that Campbell was a known offender who had worked his way up “through the hierachy of the courts”.

Judge Lord Johnston deferred sentence until next month.