ANDY

Why me? What did I ever do to you? That made you react the way you did. I don't even know you except to see you walking along my street, every other day. We never exchanged words, not that you could because you were always high on drugs.

I don't understand your actions. I am only fourteen years of age for god's sake and you've robbed me of my faith and trust in mankind. I look over my shoulder when I am out, because I have become weary of everyone around me. I have changed beyond recognition. I am no longer the carefree teenager I once was. Instead I have become a person trapped in my own fear. If anyone is walking behind me I automatically freeze, with the sweat pouring out of me. What have you done to me? Do you even realise or care?

My dreams and ambitions have been shattered by your crime. You stole my youth like a thief in the night, with no thought of what it would do to me. I lie awake at night thinking and wondering if you will come back to get me and finish me off. I feel that I am living on borrowed time and every day will be my last.

At the moment you are in prison waiting to go up to court for your actions. As if what you did to me was not enough, you had to plead not guilty and I will be the one to suffer. Because you are pleading not guilty I have to go through the ordeal of going to court and relive what you did to me. Don't you think I have suffered enough? Walking into that courtroom is going to be even harder than what you did to me. No doubt your Lawyer will tear me to ribbons protesting your innocence, this is when the victim becomes the criminal and that's the way I feel, it's like I've done something wrong.

Have you ever been scared? Like I am now, somehow I don't think so, because if you had you wouldn't have done what you did.

I was minding my own business, walking along Cumbernauld Road with my big brother James. We were gong to bet a horse on the Grand National. The only time I was allowed to bet on a horse was the Grand National, so as you can imagine I was excited at the prospect and wondering how much I would get back if my horse came in first.

I was walking along the road talking to James when I looked round. I saw you running and never gave it a thought. Before I was aware of what was happening you punched me in the neck or so I thought. I held my neck and James shouted to you asking you what you were doing hitting me, but you ran off.

I pulled my hand away from my neck, James immediately seen the blood sprouting out. That's when I realised I had been stabbed and not punched. James then pressed his hand on the wound to try and stop the blood from flowing and at the same time walking me to the corner shop to phone Dad.

I was so glad to see Dad, because I was getting scared, I thought I was going to die. The same thoughts were running through James's head especially when I fainted. When I came to James was crying, he helped me into the car along with Dad I could see the fear in their faces and knew this was serious. I knew I had to stay calm in case Dad panicked. On the way to the hospital I kept up a flow of conversation, to reassure Dad that I was all right.

At the Hospital I received five stitches, the doctor said that I was very lucky, if the knife had went in a fraction to the right or left I would have bled to death.

Later on I heard that I was not meant to be stabbed, it was meant for another junkie. I couldn't believe it
How could I be mistaken for a junkie? I never took drugs, all I lived for was football and yet this man stabs me because he thinks in his junked up mind that I'm the guy he's after.

The next day, you walked up my street; my Mum went down and confronted you. You said to Mum that you were sorry, it was the wrong person you had stabbed. As if that makes everything all right, but while your saying sorry, you pull a knife out on my Mum. Mum managed to restrain you until the police arrived. The police arrested you and everyone thinks that's that, but it's not I am left to pick up the pieces of my shattered life.

My friends have said to me that I was lucky, as I'm only going to have a small scar on my neck, but what about the scars that can't be seen, will they fade in time? I'm only fourteen and I have come close to being murdered, that's one scar that will near fade.

Now I wait for the trial with anticipation and hope you feel compassion and plead guilty, because you are guilty and to admit that, would save me the ordeal of standing in the witness box and reliving this nightmare.

You not only put my life in danger. You put my Dad at risk, when he had to rush me to hospital, going through all the red lights in order to get me there as fast as possible, he could have crashed and innocent people killed. Then my Mum, if she hadn't been quick in restraining you she could have been dead. Do you think of that? I don't suppose you do, but I do when I lie in my bed at night thinking of what could have happened. It's a question of what if and that scares me.