An Aberdeen man has been jailed after he admitted stabbing a man in a high-rise lift while robbing him of drugs.
Zoltan Anderson pled guilty to the offence, which happened two years ago on the 15th floor of Beachview Court in Seaton.
Police traced Anderson after following a trail of blood at the scene.
Anderson, who lost a leg in a car accident nine years ago, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in a wheelchair.
The 52-year-old admitted the charge of assaulting the man with a knife to his severe injury and robbing him of a set of keys.
Blood trail
The court heard how blood was found inside the lift and at the ground floor entrance to the high rise.
More was found on the door of a flat, where police found Anderson inside.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told the court how the victim had gone to the flat to buy drugs and had taken the lift to the 15th floor at around 7pm on November 12 2022.
“He sourced £20 worth of controlled drugs,” Ms Martin continued. “And as he entered the lift, he felt a blow to the back of his head and was knocked to the ground.
“Whilst on the ground [Anderson] got on top of him and shouted, ‘give us the prize’ and ‘Is this worth it, just give us it’.”
Knife assault
The court heard how Anderson was stabbing the man with a knife and repeatedly punching him on the head.
His victim eventually gave up the drugs and escaped down the stairs of the block.
“At this time [the victim] noticed that his phone and house keys were missing and then observed that he was bleeding heavily from his forearm,” Ms Martin added.
When police arrived, they found blood at the ground floor entrance, in the lift and on the 15th floor.
“Blood was observed on a flat door and [Anderson] was traced within,” Ms Martin explained.
‘He deserved it’
Whilst at Kittybrewster Police Station Anderson stated that his victim “deserved more than what he got” and that “he got off lightly”.
The court was told the man sustained a cut to his arm, bruising to his face and body, several cuts to his hands and scratches to his body.
Anderson’s defence solicitor Alex Burn said his client had been trying to get money back from his victim, but “all hell broke loose”.
Mr Burn said his client was a “vulnerable individual” and had lost a leg after a hit-and-run accident in 2016.
Vulnerable
“The accused in that case went to the High Court,” Mr Burn explained. “He deliberately knocked him down and he lost a leg as a result of that.
“He had gone to the flat to get his money, it wasn’t his knife – matters just developed.
“His mother had recently passed away and he was very angry and emotional at the time.”
Sheriff Ian Wallace said Anderson had pled guilty to a “very serious” assault and robbery and said: “You used a knife and left the complainer with significant injuries.
“Only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
He jailed Anderson for 22 months, deducting 13 months for half of the time he had already spent on an electronic tag (26 months), meaning he will now serve nine months in prison.