Teenager knifed father in Dumfries caravan park

Gardiner was originally charged with attempted murder

A man has admitted stabbing his father in the back five times during a family holiday at a caravan in Dumfries.

Callan Gardiner, 19, from Ayr, attacked Paul Gardiner, 42, at Southerness Holiday Village in July.

He was originally charged with attempted murder but had a guilty plea accepted to a reduced charge of assault to severe injury and danger of life.

At the High Court in Glasgow, sentence on Gardiner was deferred until 26 January and he was granted bail.

The court heard how the father and son had been on a caravanning holiday along with Mr Gardiner snr's second wife, their two children, and her sons by a previous relationship.

On 30 July, Callan and Paul Gardiner went out for a few drinks in a nearby pub and returned to their caravan around 1230 BST.

Punched unconscious

While the accused was making himself something to eat in the kitchen of the static caravan his father tried to give him some advice.

The accused, who had headphones on and was playing loud music, ignored his father who began shouting at him.

Mr Gardiner threw a plug charger at his son which resulted in an argument during which Callan Gardiner was punched unconscious.

After his father threw a bucket of water over him, Gardiner got up, grabbed a knife from beside the kitchen sink and jumped on his father's back and stabbed him.

The court was told that Paul Gardiner's lungs collapsed as a result of the attack and he still suffers from breathlessness and has to take painkillers.

At the High court in Edinburgh, Judge Lord Bonomy deferred sentence on Callan Gardiner until 26 January for background reports.