Five men injured in weekend of violence

Jul 31 2008 by John Rowbotham, Hamilton Advertiser

FIVE young men were injured, two of them seriously, in a weekend of violence in Hamilton, Blantyre and Larkhall.

Four of the injured were detained in hospital and police are treating one of the three attacks as attempted murder.

* IN HAMILTON, three young men were taken to hospital after a disturbance in the Palace Grounds Retail Park.

* IN BLANTYRE, a 21-year-old man was stabbed in broad daylight.

* IN LARKHALL, a 31-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries when he was knifed in the street.

The attacks in the Palace Grounds car park occurred near Homebase shortly before 10.30pm Sunday.

A group of youths began shouting abuse at another group then assaulted them with knives and bottles.

A friend of the injured, who was nearby in a dark-coloured hatchback, had his vehicle attacked by the yobs.

Windscreens were smashed and bodywork damaged.

The three injured, all from the North Lanarkshire area, were taken to Wishaw General.

One of them, an 18-year-old, suffered a slash wound to his neck, and was transferred to Monklands Hospital.

A 17-year-old and a 19-year-old sustained slash wounds to the face.

Both the 18-year-old and the 17-year-old underwent surgery and were released from hospital on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old, who had stitches in his wound, was allowed home after treatment.

Detectives are treating the attack on the 18-year-old as attempted murder.

They say one of the assailants was male, aged about 20, 5ft 8in, slim build and wearing a red-coloured T-shirt.

Detective Sergeant Robert Bryce said the car park was busy at the time of the attack.

It’s a focal point every weekend for ‘Strathy Racers’, a group of car enthusiasts who drive around the retail park often to the annoyance of residents and other road users.

Mr Bryce said: “This was a serious incident which began with verbal abuse and led to one group of youths being violently assaulted by another. We are still trying to establish a motive.

“The response from potential witnesses has so far been disappointing even though, at the time, there were lots of cars in the car park and a number of people around.

“We would like to speak to anyone who was in the car park at the Palace Grounds around the time the man was attacked and may be able to assist us with out inquiry.”

Contact DS Bryce at Hamilton Police Office, tel 01698 443389.”

Detectives are still probing the attack in Blantyre that occurred about 1pm on Saturday in Station Road.

Officers cordoned off the street after a 21-year-old was knifed in the chest.

Residents say the suspects jumped out of a car and attacked the man.

He was taken to Hairmyres Hospital where his condition was said to be stable.

In the third incident, at 3.10am on Sunday, a 31-year-old man was walking in Larkhall’s Firbank Avenue when he was approached by a group of males and stabbed in the chest.

His attackers escaped in the direction of Clyde Street and he made his way to a house on Firbank Avenue and requested medical help.

An ambulance took the man to Wishaw General where he underwent surgery. Yesterday (Wednesday), his condition was serious but stable.

Detective constable Peter Scullion of Hamilton CID appealed for information about the savage attack (telephone 01698 483327).