A JUDGE has made teenage thug Darren Cornelius the youngest Scot to be given a life restriction order because of the serious danger he poses to public safety.
Cornelius, 18, was made the subject of one of the country's first lifelong restriction orders at the High Court in Perth yesterday.
Lord Bracadale told Cornelius that he would stay behind bars as long as he continued to be a serious threat to th
e public.
He said: "For someone your age, you have an extraordinary record for violence. A detailed assessment of your risk makes alarming reading.
"Taken as part of your pattern of behaviour, if you are at liberty there is a likelihood you will seriously endanger the lives of members of the public."
Lord Bracadale ordered Cornelius to serve a minimum detention period of five years and placed him on a rare lifelong restriction order.
It means that Cornelius has become the youngest person in Scotland to be placed on such an order. The sentence effectively means Cornelius will remain behind bars until he is deemed safe for release.
Cornelius, a prisoner in Edinburgh, admitted leaving a stranger scarred for life after carrying out a random and frenzied knife attack upon him.
He admitted punching Daniel Sweeney and repeatedly stabbing him with a knife in Leamington Terrace, Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, on 17 March last year. He left his victim severely injured and permanently disfigured.
Cornelius – who was once compared with the killers of the youngster James Bulger – claimed he was stabbing an invisible man only he could see.
He was taken to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital to be treated for mental health problems, before admitting to the attack in July last year.
He initially appeared in court in connection with the attack in October 2007, but Sheriff James Scott sent the case to the High Court for sentencing.
Psychological reports at that time recommended that a life-long restriction order was considered.
When he was led back to the cells, Cornelius hurled abuse at Sheriff Scott as well as at Reliance security officers. He also threw several punches at the walls.
Susan Watt, the defence counsel, told the High Court yesterday that Cornelius was starting to show some insight into his offending.
She said: "He is still a young man. He has suffered from a considerable number of difficulties in his childhood and growing up.
"He recognises he has a number of significant issues and recognises he must address these issues if he is to alter the path of his life.
"He spoke to me about his difficulties with anger management and how he reacts to things, not in a good way.
"He has difficulty comprehending the idea of a lifelong restriction and sees the fact he is facing it at such a young age as a very important thing in his life."
The full article contains 479 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
