Cousins caged for evil murder attempt on man

Angela Murphy 1581 - 1581 • Published 29 Apr 2009 12:30

TWO cousins who left a man for dead after brutally attacking him as he walked home have been jailed for a total of 16 years.

At the High Court in Glasgow Daniel and Joseph Grady were each ordered to serve eight years in prison for the attempted murder of 34-year-old Francis Lee in Linwood last February.

The court heard that Daniel Grady, 33, of Locherburn Place, Houston, laughed as he inflicted horrific injuries on Mr Lee while his cousin Joseph, 30, of William Street, Paisley, held their victim down.

Sentencing them, judge Lord McEwan called the unprovoked attack 'wanton, scandalous and disgraceful.'

He told the cousins: 'For some inexplicable reason you launched a concerted attack on a man who had done you no harm at all.

'You left him for dead. He was very lucky he did not die from his injuries.

'A bottle was used and a knife and a significant number of very serious injuries caused.

'He was left in a lane in Linwood if he had not been found by by people who partly saw what happened he may not have lived.'

Mr Lee told the court that the pair set about him in a lane at Greenhill Crescent, Linwood.

He described the attack as 'just a fury' and so vicious that he lost consciousness.

Joseph and Daniel Grady denied attempting to murder Mr Lee by dragging him along the ground, striking him on the head with a bottle, repeatedly striking him on the head and body with a knife, repeatedly punching him on the head and body and repeatedly stamping and kicking him on the body.

The jury convicted both of them after a trial at the High Court at Paisley.

Mr Lee, a machine operator, said Joseph Grady punched him on the face and he was then dragged to the ground and punched, kicked and stabbed.

He told the court: 'I was punched on the face and body and kicked on the back.

'I was stabbed in the back, the buttocks and back of my thigh and slashed in the face, the top of my head and behind my left ear.'

Mr Lee said Daniel Grady grabbed his head and ran a weapon down his cheek and over the top of his head.

He said: 'It felt as if he was trying to cut my ear off'.

'He seemed to take great pleasure in what he was doing and was laughing as he did it.'

As that was happening, Mr Lee was aware of the Joseph Grady holding him down before jumping on his knee and breaking his kneecap.

While he lay on the ground desperately trying to protect himself, he was jumped upon several times before lapsing into unconsciousness.

He said: 'The next thing I remember was someone holding my head briefly, then waking up in hospital.'

Mr Lee suffered a collapsed lung and underwent two operations to have his kneecap repaired and had numerous wounds stitched and stapled.

He also had cuts to his face, scalp, back and buttocks, heavy bruising on his head and chest, and a hairline fracture to a cheekbone.

Defence counsel Paul Nelson, representing Joseph Grady said: 'My client"s position is one of denial.

'He is not going to change his position as a result of the jury"s verdict.'

Advocate Michael Meehan, representing Daniel Grady, said: 'He has expressed his regret about the pain and suffering he caused Mr Lee.

'He is disgusted with himself. He regrets his involvement.

'He wants to let the complainer know he is sorry, although I appreciate that may be of little comfort to him.'

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This article appeared in The Gazette 29 Apr 09

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