Knife thug hid under trampoline

The court heard that Morgan struck out after an angry confrontation

A man who stabbed his girlfriend's ex-lover then hid under a child's trampoline to avoid arrest has been jailed for four and a half years.

At the High Court in Glasgow, James Morgan admitted attacking Patrick McGuire at his partner Lisa Gorman's home in Hamilton in July this year.

Morgan struck when Mr McGuire turned up at the house and demanded to get in.

Judge Lord Brailsford reduced the sentence from six years because of Morgan's guilty plea.

The court heard Morgan and Miss Gorman had been dating after she had split from Mr McGuire, the father of her two children.

On 26 July, Morgan had been at her home in Falconer Terrace.

Around 3am the following morning, an angry Mr McGuire turned up outside.

Hiding place

Morgan initially tried to avoid a confrontation but then stabbed his girlfriend's former partner repeatedly on the body.

The victim only realised he had been knifed when he saw a spray of blood.

He suffered a number of wounds resulting in a punctured lung.

When police arrived they were alerted to th fact that Morgan was hiding in a neighbour's garden.

Judge Lord Brailsford said he accepted Morgan had not been the "instigator" but that his actions had been "grossly disproportionate".