A man who stabbed his pal after a drinking session has narrowly avoided prison.
Liam McWhinnie, 25, was given a community payback order at Airdrie Sheriff Court this week.
He admitted assaulting the man to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement on December 1 last year.
The attack happened at McWhinnie’s home in Kilgarth Street, Coatbridge.
Flora McCamley, prosecuting, told the court: “It was about 10pm and the two men had been drinking in the house.
“There was an altercation and McWhinnie asked the victim to leave.
“A scuffle broke out and McWhinnie took hold of a large kitchen knife and struck his friend on the abdomen with it.
“The accused then pushed him out the front door before running out the back door.”
The court heard a neighbour found the victim sitting on a doorstep. He was holding his stomach and his clothing was soaked in blood.
The fiscal added: “Police officers conducted emergency first aid before the arrival of paramedics.
“There was a single penetrative wound to the victim’s abdomen and he was taken by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
“He was given treatment before being transferred to the high dependency unit for observation.
“Police officers followed a blood trail to McWhinnie’s house.
“A bloodstained knife recovered from a kitchen drawer had his DNA on the handle. The blood was that of the victim.”
McWhinnie has no previous convictions and Sheriff Paul Haran said he was willing to impose an alternative to custody.
He placed him under supervision for two years and ordered him to do 300 hours of unpaid community work.
McWhinnie will be confined to his home between 8pm and 6am each day under a four-month electronic tagging order.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.