A son who had never met his father before carried out a brutal stabbing against him when they found themselves serving time on the same prison wing.
A Fateful and Violent First Meeting
The incident took place on July 12, 2025, within the walls of HMP Perth in Scotland. Lee Spence, aged 25 and from Leslie, Fife, attacked his father, John, with a knife. The court heard that John was struck on the head and neck during the assault.
The attack was so severe that John required urgent medical treatment at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
Motive and Guilty Plea in Court
On Friday, November 14, Lee Spence appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh before judge Lord Renucci, where he pleaded guilty to attempted murder.
Prosecutor Fraser Matheson explained the motive to the court. He stated that Lee knew John was his father from a previous relationship and had targeted him in a revenge attack. The assault was motivated by alleged domestic abuse John had inflicted upon Lee's mother when Lee was a baby.
Mr Matheson told the court, "The accused told prison officers that he had slashed the complainer as he had assaulted his mother when he was a baby." When questioned by the judge, it was revealed that while John was aware he had a son, he did not know that Lee was that son.
The Attack and Previous Convictions
The court learned the specific details of the assault. Moments before he was attacked, John was looking for a cup and went into Lee's cell, where the stabbing occurred. After the attack, Lee told prison officers he had flushed the weapon down a toilet.
Lee Spence's defence counsel, Gordon Martin KC, confirmed that Lee's mother had told him about the alleged abuse, which motivated his actions.
The case also shed light on Lee's violent past. The court heard he has several previous convictions. In a disturbing previous case from September 2022, he was sentenced to three years and eight months for a vicious attack on a woman. He had throttled her until she blacked out, hit her on the head with a vacuum cleaner pole, and stabbed her leg with shards of a broken glass, laughing at her afterwards.
Lord Renucci has deferred sentencing until January 9, 2026, to allow for background reports to be prepared.
