Teen who stabbed stranger who called him Harry Potter at bus stop detained

A teenager who became “angry” and repeatedly stabbed a stranger who called him Harry Potter during an early morning argument in Edinburgh has been given a four-year detention.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, became angry with the 21-year-old at a bus stop in Princes Street on March 17, 2024.

The High Court heard how the youth was wearing a “large pair of black-rimmed spectacles” when he encountered the victim.

Prosecutor Margaret Barron told the court how the pair became involved in a “verbal argument” moments before the teenager struck the man with a blade he had been carrying.

The court heard that investigators were unable to discover what triggered the altercation but had managed to determine that the man made the reference to Harry Potter. Warner Bros

She added: “The complainer said to the accused, ‘Calm down, Harry Potter,’ after which the altercation began.

“During this altercation, the accused removed a knife from his pocket and stabbed the complainer to the torso. At this point, [the victim] and his friends were unaware that he had been injured.

“Some people attempted to break up the scuffle, and at some point, a pair of glasses worn by the accused fell to the ground.

“The complainer felt a pain in his chest area and lifted up his top to reveal a stab wound to his torso. He showed the injury to his friends, telling them he had been stabbed.”

The teenager pleaded guilty to a charge which stated that he repeatedly struck the victim on his body to “severe injury, permanent disfigurement, permanent impairment and to the danger of his life”.

Ms Barron told the court that the man and his friends had been on a night out and were standing at the bus stop at about 12.45am.

She said that he and the teenager were “unknown to each other”.

The court heard that investigators were unable to discover what triggered the altercation but had managed to determine that the man made the reference to Harry Potter.

Ms Barron said a witness told detectives about the comment. Speaking about the witness, she said: “The witness stated… the complainer called the accused Harry Potter, which made the accused angry.”

Ms Barron added: “All witnesses describe the argument as becoming physical.”

The prosecution lawyer said the confrontation continued a short distance away from the bus stop – the victim was then stabbed again.

Ms Barron said: “The accused and complainer began pushing and shoving each other until at 12.55am, the complainer collapsed clutching his body. The accused had stabbed the complainer again, inflicting two further injuries to the complainer’s torso.

“The accused then ran off towards Market Street. The complainer was heard to say, ‘I can’t breathe.’”

Ms Barron told the court that an ambulance arrived soon afterwards, and the victim was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Hospital, and doctors operated on him, removing his spleen.

Ms Barron added: “His injuries were of a severe nature, and without the appropriate surgical intervention, his life would have been at risk.

“He will be left with permanent scarring at the site of his injuries and also at the site of his operative wound. His injuries were consistent with having been caused by a sharp implement.”

Police launched an investigation and managed to identify the boy who was arrested on March 20.

The court heard that the teen was a first offender.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain McSporran KC told judge Lord Cubie that people who support his client think he could be rehabilitated and that there was a “viable alternative” to custody but Lord Cubie told the youth that he needed to be given a sentence of detention.

Passing sentence, Lord Cubie said: “There are two lives which have been permanently affected by your decision to carry a knife that night.

“It is a matter of luck that nothing more serious happened. The casual way you explained of why you carried a knife on that evening – because everybody else does it – is a depressing one.

“Given the nature and extent of the behaviour displayed on that night, I consider that the threshold for a custodial sentence has been met.

“The sentence will be one of four years detention.”