Man who followed woman before stabbing her in neck with pencil on Glasgow's Queen Street jailed

A man who followed a woman before stabbing her in the neck with a pencil has been jailed for five years and three months.

Ibrohin Sharif, 47, attacked Janet Smillie with the makeshift weapon on Glasgow’s Queen Street, after following her on June 6 last year.

A judge told Sharif: “You have been assessed as presenting a high risk of re-offending and a high risk of causing serious harm.”

Judge Norman McFadyen KC said: “Clearly, I have to recognise the gravity of your offence and to take account of the risk you present to the public.”

The judge told Sharif at the High Court in Edinburgh that he would order that he should be under supervision for a further three-year period, when he will be on licence and can be recalled to prison if he breaches its terms.

He said Sharif would have faced a seven-year jail term for the attack on Ms Smillie but that would be reduced following his guilty plea.

Sharif, from the Pollokshields area of Glasgow, earlier admitted assaulting the woman to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and the danger of her life by pursuing her, striking her on the neck with a pencil and causing her to fall to the ground.

He was originally charged with attempting to murder the victim but the Crown accepted his plea to the reduced charge.

The court heard that Ms Smillie, who has since died, was socialising with a group when Sharif approached them before following her and then attacking.

He approached the victim and struck her to the left side of her neck with a pencil, which caused her to fall. The victim put her hand to her neck and felt blood and realised she had been stabbed.

Sharif walked off but was tailed by a witness who was on the phone to a 999 call handler and the intoxicated attacker was traced and arrested.

Ms Smillie was taken to hospital for treatment. The wound gave no real cause for concern at first, but a CT scan showed a defect near the carotid artery and surgery was required to repair the damage.

Defence solicitor advocate Murray Macara KC said Sharif had started consuming excessive quantities of alcohol and drugs at the time the attack was committed.

He said that Sharif, who worked as a chef, had the pencil in his pocket because he used it in the course of his employment. He said it was used “on the spur of the moment” as an improvised weapon.

Mr Macara said: “He has repeatedly expressed remorse for what he did.”