Teenage soldier held hostage, scalded with boiling water and beaten in ‘prolonged and violent attack’

A man who attempted to murder a soldier as he held him hostage in a flat after discovering him in bed with his sister has been jailed.

Dylan Rigby, 20, has been jailed for seven years for the savage attack on 18-year-old Cobhan McLelland.

Rigby used scissors, knives and boiling water on the soldier in a two-hour ordeal at a flat in March, the Edinburgh Evening News reports.

He flew into a rage after discovering Mr McLelland in bed with his sister after returning from a night out at around 6am on Saturday March 22, prosecutor Stephanie Ross said.

Rigby ‘was saying he was going to kill him’

Rigby threw the soldier to the ground, and repeatedly stamped on and kicked him, before attacking him with a bottle, scissors and a knife and then pouring boiling water over him.

He put a knife to the squaddie’s back and scissors in his mouth, threatening to cut off his tongue, as well as terrorising him by making threats to rape and kill him, the prosecutor added.

She said: “Mr McLelland was crying, begging for his life. The accused was saying ‘don’t f*** with me, do you know who I am?’

“Throughout the assault the accused was saying he was going to kill the complainer and said he could rape him if he wanted to.

“The accused was laughing and dancing.

“At one point he took him to the window with a knife at his back and put the scissor blades over his tongue, threatening to cut off his tongue.”

Soldier treated for burns and has suffered nightmares

Police stormed the flat in Kidlaw Close, Edinburgh, and Rigby was arrested by armed officers at around 8.22am, the court heard.

Mr McLelland was rushed to hospital with a fractured nose and wrist, and a deep cut to his forehead and burns to his shoulder, arm and back, before being discharged a week later.

He was treated at a specialist burns and has suffered from flashbacks and nightmares, Ms Ross told the court.

The charge states the attack was to Mr McLelland’s “severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of his life” and that Rigby “did attempt to murder him”.

Rigby was initially remanded in custody for a criminal justice social work report to be prepared before sentencing as he is not yet 21.

‘A prolonged and violent attack’

Jailing him, judge Lady Carmichael said: "You pled guilty to a prolonged and exceptionally violent attack on another young man.

"The offending on this indictment is so serious there is no alternative to a custodial sentence. Your record of offending demonstrates escalating violence."

The judge told Rigby, who was 19 when he carried out the murder bid, that she had to take into account his age and immaturity in sentencing him.

She said: "It is clear that in the interests of your own rehabilitation and the protection of the public you will have to do a great deal of work."

She ordered that Rigby should be kept under supervision for a further three years following his sentence of detention.

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