'You're going to die' - thug jailed for stabbing pensioner in her East Kilbride home

A knife thug stabbed a 62-year-old wheelchair-bound woman four times in her home as she phoned her bank.

Mark Crawford, 36, plunged a knife into neighbour 62-year-old Mary Henderson's neck and shoulders after telling her ''You are going to die.”

At the High Court in Glasgow Crawford admitted attempting to murder Ms Henderson at her home in Catacol Grove, East Kilbride, on July 17, this year.

Prosecutor Chris McKenna told the court that Ms Henderson screamed down the phone to the operator at the bank call centre saying: “It's Mark, he's stabbing me,” and “phone the police.”

Crawford, who was a regular visitor to Ms Henderson's home then left, but before doing so threatened to come back and finish her off.

Mr McKenna said: “The complainer had a vague recollection of using a tea towel to stop the bleeding. She was left in a very distressed state.

“About this time the police received a call via Avon and Somerset Police from the bank manager from Lloyds TSB who reported they had received a call from Mary Henderson in which she stated she was being assaulted by a man called Mark.”

When police arrived they had to forced entry and found Ms Henderson sitting on her couch which was saturated with blood and with multiple wounds to her neck.

One officer applied pressure to her wounds before paramedics arrived and she was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

They traced Crawford to his nearby home and found the knife he had used hidden under a rug. There was blood on the front of the letterbox of his home.

Ms Henderson had to undergo surgery to repair damage to an artery. She also suffered damage to multiple blood vessels, a broken bone in her back, two black eyes and a fractured eye socket and nose.

She has been left permanently scarred.

The knife found had Ms Henderson DNA on it and her blood was also on his left trainer.

When interviewed by police Crawford said he lived in Catacol Grove and claimed he had the knife for his protection.

Judge Lord Matthews deferred sentence on Crawford until January next year.

Defence QC Tony Graham will give his plea in mitigation then.

Crawford has numerous convictions for offences involving knives.

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