A man who launched a savage attack on two men with a glass bottle on a train has been found guilty of attempted murder and serious assault.
Thomas Craig, 48, of East Renfrewshire, Scotland, was found guilty on 28 November following a four-day trial at Glasgow High Court.
Craig will return to the same court on 12 January next year to be sentenced.
How the attack unfolded
The court heard how on 16 February 2024, Craig was intoxicated on a train from Glasgow Queen Street railway station when he began speaking to other passengers who were sitting across the aisle from him.
Within 10 minutes of the conversation beginning, he hurled an insult at a victim, before suddenly launching an attack where he jumped from his seat and hit the victim twice over the head with a glass bottle.
The victim then ran away through the train – which was travelling towards Perth.
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However, Craig chased the man and continued to strike him with the bottle until it smashed, leaving him holding its jagged broken neck.
When the victim’s friend tried to intervene, he was also attacked.
“Violently and relentlessly attacking two men”
Craig punched the man’s friend seven times before he twice thrusted the broken neck of the glass bottle into his chest.
The friend’s injuries, which included a stab wound close to his heart, a collapsed lung, and a severed artery that resulted in him losing around 15% of his blood, left him in intensive care.
After attacking the victim’s friend, Craig returned to his seat, throwing the neck of the bottle towards where the victims had been sitting.
He grabbed one of the victim’s phones and pocketed it, before walking down the train and removing his now blood-soaked jumper, replacing it with a clean hoodie from his belongings.
Police and paramedics met the train at Larbert railway station where Craig was arrested on the train, and both victims were treated for their injuries before being urgently taken to hospital.
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Detective Inspector Marc Francey, of the British Transport Police, said Craig had violently and relentlessly attacked two men over a minor disagreement, and caused panic among other passengers.
He added that: “It is thanks only to luck and to the life-saving work of the paramedics that Craig hasn’t been found guilty of something far worse.
“I hope this verdict brings a measure of closure to the victims after enduring such a brutal attack.
“Violence on the railway is utterly unacceptable, and we will relentlessly pursue offenders like Craig to ensure they face justice.”
