A YOUNG reveller nearly died in a frenzied knife attack at Scotland's flagship music festival yesterday – in a weekend that saw no let-up in the current wave of knife crime.
Police described the attack at T in the Park as "horrific" after the 22-year-old victim was stabbed repeatedly in the head and body.
Meanwhile, two other men were stabbed to death in incidents south of the Border over the weekend, as Jacqui Smith
, the Home Secretary, prepared to announce tough new legislation to tackle knife crime.
The attacks come only days after Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, told The Scotsman of plans to bring in new sentencing guidelines for such offences.
Ms Smith will reveal a full package of measures in her long-awaited Youth Crime Bill tomorrow, while the Scottish Government has promised a range of initiatives to tackle "blade culture" in its forthcoming Criminal Justice Bill. Both bills will be scrutinised closely as knife crime moves up the political agenda.
Last night, the victim of the T in the Park attack was being treated in intensive care at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee for multiple stab wounds, as police hunted the two men believed to be responsible. Police said it was only the expertise of medics that saved his life.
The man was found in the campsite at Balado, near Kinross, at about 12:40am. Police appealed for anyone who found bloodstained clothing – or the weapon – to come forward.
It is understood the victim, who is from Glasgow but has not been named, had been trying to break up an argument at the campsite when he was attacked. It is thought another man had been found urinating on a woman's tent, sparking a row, and that the victim had been stabbed when he intervened. He staggered between tents and was later found lying near a hedge separating the blue and yellow camp areas.
Detective Chief Inspector Bruce Kerr, of Tayside Police, said: "This has been a horrific assault on a 22-year-old man. Whoever is responsible will undoubtedly have blood on their clothing.
"Initially, we were very concerned for the victim, but we have just been told that he is an a stable condition and out of danger. From what I have been told, the medical staff here (at Balado] played a very important part, and I'm led to believe had it not been for the experience of the doctor on site and treatment that the victim got, it may well have been a fatality."
Geoff Ellis, the festival director, said it was "obviously an isolated incident" but admitted that, while organisers were continually reviewing their security measures, it was impossible to guard against every eventuality.
George Kyle, the head of sponsorship for Tennents, said they did everything they could to encourage responsible drinking at the festival.
A source close to Alex Salmond, the First Minister, said carrying and using knives was "totally unacceptable", and that knife crime was "a real problem".
A spokeswoman for Scotland's national Violence Reduction Unit, said the country – and particularly the West of Scotland – had been blighted by knife crime for more than 40 years. "Sadly, attacks like these do happen," she said of the Balado incident. "They can have a devastating impact, not only on the victim and their family and friends but in the community as a whole."
The incident was the first stabbing in the festival's 15-year history and marred what had been a relatively trouble-free weekend, with only seven arrests prior to the attack. The scene remained cordoned off all day yesterday as a forensic examination was carried out.
Police said the first man they were looking for was white, in his late teens, 6ft 1in tall and skinny, with short, dark brown hair. He was wearing a white tracksuit top. The second man was white, about 5ft 8in tall, of medium build and with short, dark brown "mullet-style" hair. He was wearing a red tracksuit top.
Fans and performers said they had been horrified by the attack and sent their good wishes to the victim.
Scottish singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald, who was playing the main stage, said: "It is absolutely shocking. No-one should be carrying knives – it is a completely stupid thing to do."
The attack was the latest in a series of stabbings that have put knife crime to the forefront of the political agenda. Two more fatalities occurred over the weekend.
A man in his 40s died after being stabbed in the head and chest during an altercation in Bristol on Saturday night. He was named locally as Johnny Derrick, a father of two. Two men were in custody last night, being interviewed on suspicion of murder.
In another attack early yesterday, in Bolton, Paul Gilligan, who was in his 30s, was killed. A 19-year-old man from the town was arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in police custody last night.
After the attacks, Ms Smith said young people south of the Border who carry knives would be made to visit hospitals where stabbing victims were treated, in a bid to shock them into changing their behaviour.
However, opposition politicians criticised the proposal as "half-baked" and said those found with knives should simply be sent to prison.
Mike Jervis, chief executive of the Damilola Taylor Trust, which campaigns against knife crime, said it was essential to dispel the culture of fear that led youngsters to believe they had to carry a blade.
He said more work should be done in schools to educate pupils. While the charity believed anyone convicted of a stabbing attack should be jailed, he said it would be difficult to imprison anyone for carrying a knife, as the term was not clearly defined.
The Home Secretary's proposals will be outlined in more detail tomorrow when the government publishes its youth crime plan.
The Scottish Government said detailed anti-knife crime proposals would be released "in the near future" in the proposed Criminal Justice Bill.
• A 32-year-old man was found dead at T in the Park yesterday after an asthma attack – the first on-site fatality in the festival's history.
The full article contains 1042 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
