A 34-year-old man has been sentenced today, 27 June, at Antrim Crown Court after stabbing two brothers in Dervock in 2023.

Paul Hamilton, from Dervock, had previously pleaded guilty to attempted murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.

Today, he was given a sentence of nine and a half years with five and a half years to be served on licence.

Detective Inspector Gareth Lavery said: "On the night of Sunday 30 July in 2023, police were tasked to a report of a stabbing. This happened just outside licensed premises in the Carncullagh Road area of Dervock. 

“Paul Hamilton had previously made threats to stab one of the victims, David McConaghie, and to burn his house down.  That night, just outside the pub, an altercation ensued.  David tried to run but fell to the ground, and it’s here that Hamilton stabbed him in the back in a frenzied attack.  The victim sustained a fractured arm and stab wounds to the lower back.

“David’s brother, Samuel McConaghie, who tried to intervene was also stabbed repeatedly.  He sustained life-changing injuries, including a laceration to the side of his face and a cut tendon in his forearm.   

“Both men spent several days in hospital receiving treatment to their injuries.

Detective Inspector Lavery continued: “Witness accounts, backed by CCTV, indicate that a verbal altercation escalated, resulting in a shockingly vicious attack.  These were actions that shook those present, and indeed an entire community; while the lives of the two brothers could easily have been lost. 

“Hamilton fled the scene and left Northern Ireland in an attempt to evade police, but was arrested in England two weeks later.

“Working with the Public Prosecution Service and Lincolnshire Police, and thanks to the support of witnesses, Hamilton has today been held to account.  I can only hope this sends a clear message to those who would seek to harm others: we will work tirelessly to bring you before the courts. 

“While I hope the victims and their loved ones will take some sense of closure from today, I am deeply mindful that both physical and emotional scars will remain.”