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Page last updated at 11:57 GMT, Wednesday, 14 May 2008 12:57 UK

Jail term for 'robot defence' man

High Court in Edinburgh
A jury rejected Reid's defence of 'non-insane automatism

A man who stabbed his cousin outside a pub in Glasgow has been jailed for 10 years at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Thomas Reid, 37, had claimed he did not remember attacking Francis Boyle, 34, outside the Tall Cranes bar in Govan in September last year.

Reid said he had suffered an earlier beating and lodged a defence that he had experienced non-insane automatism.

But a jury rejected his so-called "robot defence" and found him guilty of attempted murder.

At an earlier hearing the court was shown CCTV footage of a fight in the pub between Reid and 46-year-old John Coyne.

After the fight was broken up Reid was thrown out of the bar but returned and started kicking a door and smashing windows.

It was outside that he stabbed Mr Boyle and threatened his girlfriend.

Jailing Reid of Harmony Square, Glasgow, Lord Carloway said: "This was totally unprovoked and no explanation for your conduct that I can accept has been put forward."


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