A teenage knife attacker stabbed a man in the heart in Aberdeen after accusing his former girlfriend and the victim of sleeping together, a court heard today.
Steven Duthart stormed off after inflicting a life-threatening wound on the man in the late-night Aberdeen attack.
A passerby went to the aid of the stabbing victim and called emergency services before surgeons carried out a life-saving operation.
Duthart, now 21, admitted attempting to murder the 24-year-old on Wellington Road on September 26 in 2021 when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh via a video link to prison.
He assaulted his victim by punching him on the head and stabbing him on the body to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.
The court heard that Duthart, then aged 19, was drinking in a bar in Aberdeen when his ex-partner and her sister arrived there.
His victim and some of his friends, who had been on a golf outing, also came into the pub.
Duthart’s former girlfriend and the man left after closing time and he caught up with them before a fight later broke out between the men.
Advocate depute Paul Harvey said that during the altercation Duthart was shouting, accusing them of sleeping together.
The prosecutor said: “The complainer saw that the accused had a knife in his right hand and the accused lunged towards him with the weapon.”
Passerby comes to bleeding man’s aid
The victim immediately realised he had been stabbed and was bleeding and tried unsuccessfully to stop passing cars.
A man who was walking home in the early hours of the morning saw the victim who had his jumper pulled up and was covered in blood and went to his aid.
He saw he had a chest wound and arm injury and used the jumper to try and stop the bleeding and applied pressure to the wound.
Mr Harvey said the victim was standing, but then fell backwards and became unconscious after he struck his head on the ground.
The passerby called 999 and a paramedic attended to give aid to the man before he was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for emergency surgery to the stab wound to his chest which had penetrated his heart by a centimetre.
The court heard that the incident was captured on CCTV and that Duthart made admissions to his mother that he had stabbed someone.
As well as admitting the attempted murder charge today Duthart also pled guilty to failing to appear for a High Court hearing in May this year. He was subsequently arrested and remanded in custody.
The judge, Lord Fairley, adjourned sentence on Duthart for the preparation of a background report and risk assessment.
He is due to be sentenced on September 21 at the High Court in Dundee.