George Ralph jailed for stabbing John Douglis in Ayr play park

A man who stabbed a stranger in the neck after mistaking him for someone who had assaulted his friend has been jailed for six years and five months.

George Ralph, 29, plunged a broken bottle into 20-year-old John Douglis's neck at a children's play area near Ayr Beach on 28 June last year.

Mr Douglis only survived after emergency medical treatment.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Ralph was told he would have been jailed for eight years but for his guilty plea.

The court heard that Mr Douglis had been visiting Ayr with his family from his home in Lanarkshire when the attack happened.

You ran into an area where families were enjoying the sunshine and put a broken bottle into the neck of another person”

The 20-year-old and his cousin Stephen McInnes later visited shops where three men yelled abuse at them.

The three men and others - including Ralph - then gave chase as Mr Douglis raced towards a nearby play park where relatives were.

Murdoch MacTaggart, prosecuting, said there was "panic and confusion" as parents and children fled.

Ralph followed Mr Douglis brandishing a beer bottle, which he then smashed against a fence.

He stabbed Mr Douglis in the neck before escaping from the scene.

Mr Douglis was rushed to hospital for surgery. A doctor later said he may not have survived but for emergency treatment.

Ralph was detained the following day in Ayr and initially denied any involvement.

Jailing him, judge Lady Stacey told Ralph: "That day in Ayr you got involved for no reason.

"You ran into an area where families were enjoying the sunshine and put a broken bottle into the neck of another person."