An intruder who staged a terrifying murder bid on the father of his former girlfriend’s new baby has been remanded in custody.
Mark Cornwell armed himself with a knife before entering a bedroom where Michael Watson was sleeping, along with Anne-Marie Robertson and their days-old child.
Cornwell, 31, punched Mr Watson on the face. Mr Watson then woke up to find his attacker on top of him and about to stab him in the chest.
Advocate depute Eoghainn Maclean told the High Court in Edinburgh: “Instinctively, Mr Watson managed to grab the blade with both hands and fought against the accused as he tried to force it down into his upper body.”
The prosecutor said: “Mr Watson bled profusely from his hands while he clenched the knife as hard as he could and pushed up against the constant pressure exerted by the accused.
“The struggle lasted about two minutes.”
Miss Robertson tried unsuccessfully to get Cornwell off the victim. But the noise alerted her grandparents and her grandfather grappled with the attacker and pulled him off the bed.
Cornwell left the bedroom at the grandparents’ home in Cook Street, Dysart, in Fife, shouting: “This isn’t over. We’re not f***ing finished yet.”
Mr Watson, 35, was taken to the Victoria Hospital, in Kirkcaldy, and 14 stitches were put into his hand wounds.
The advocate depute said the victim has “recurring, intrusive memories and nightmares about the attack”.
First offender Cornwell, of Allan Crescent, Dunfermline, pled guilty to attempting to murder Mr Watson on February 23 last year.
He admitted entering the flat in Cook Street uninvited and assaulting the victim to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life by punching him, threatening to kill him, repeatedly trying to strike him on the chest with the knife and repeatedly striking him on the hands with the weapon as the victim.
Mr Maclean said that Cornwell was in a relationship with Miss Robertson for about eight years up until June 2017.
Mr Watson had developed a friendship with Miss Robertson online and in May 2017 they met up for the first time. She separated from Cornwell shortly afterwards.
She began a new relationship with Mr Watson and 12 days before the murder bid gave birth to their child.
The advocate depute said that Cornwell struggled to get over his separation from Miss Robertson and in 2017 had “a suicidal episode”.
Defence counsel David Nicolson said Cornwell suffered from a depressive disorder.
He asked that Cornwell’s bail be continued while a background report is prepared on him ahead of sentencing.
But Lord Boyd of Duncansby rejected the plea and remanded him in custody.
