Man stabbed stabbed 8 times during murder bid returns to Glasgow market for first time

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A dad who survived a horror murder bid in Glasgow city centre has returned to the Christmas markets for the first time since his attack 12 years ago.

Stephen Tierney, 42, was stabbed eight times - including in the chest and neck - after a Christmas night out on December 16, 2012. He had fallen asleep at the entrance to Queen Street Station and woke up to find his attackers, Jamie McInally and his girlfriend Caitlin Caskie, standing over him.

The dad-of-three jumped up before he was knifed several times. Stephen has told how he managed to escape the pair - whom he had never met before - after fleeing to nearby George Square.

Revellers dialled 999 for Stephen. It was later found the blows had narrowly missed his major organs. However, Stephen says it was the mental injuries that took the longest to heal from, and that he still suffers from PTSD 12 years on.

Speaking to our sister title, Glasgow Live, he said: "The attack broke me in so many ways. I remember being in hospital thinking how have I survived this. I don't know how I walked away. I was lying in the hospital bed in tears because my son, Stefan, was a year old at the time and I wanted to get back to him.

"The scary thing is the attack was completely random and at the time I didn't know I'd even been stabbed. It was only when I got away into George Square and the shock wore off that I realised I was covered in blood."

Stephen, from Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, suffered severe nerve damage to his right shoulder with all his nerve endings severed. He also had wounds in his chest, near his kidneys and his legs.

He said: "It turned my entire life upside down. I went from being a happy father to being full of anger and aggressive and I didn't know why because that's not who I am. I was getting agitated and my thought process wasn't right. I was never a big drinker but I started going out every weekend and putting myself in bad situations. I was trying to forget and numb the pain."

The telecommunications engineer took the difficult decision to start going to therapy - but says it was only around five years ago he realised his mindset had to change. It followed an attempt to take his own life which landed him in hospital, just before the birth of his son Zayn.

Stephen says he would often get flashbacks to the attack which would leave him unable to get out of bed in the morning. He admits to feelings of worthlessness, and that he was a burden to his family. At the time he was also taking pain medication to help him sleep.

He added: "Then I found out I was having my youngest wee boy. That's when I realised that something had to change. I think it took about six months to a year to change my mindset because the brain and body hold onto trauma."

The dad credits part of his recovery to the philosophy of Hong Kong-American martial artist Bruce Lee, who talked about how powerful the mind is and how it can heal itself. Despite being told he would never train again, after nerves were detached in his shoulder, Stephen decided to ignore doctors' advice and now says he has full mobility back.

He added: "My shoulder was skin and bone and had full muscle loss. They said the more I train the worse it was going to get but I just didn't listen. My brain is fragmented and it is stuck in a point of time and will take me back to protect itself but it is also very powerful and people don't understand that. I learned from Bruce Lee and started doing self-healing and it worked.

"A big thing is just changing your mindset to a positive one. I will always have bad days, if I've been stressed at work or in life I know I'll get flashbacks that night. But by staying positive you can retrain your brain to deal with it and eventually it becomes automatic. You know whatever your feeling will pass."

But it was only earlier this month he decided to take on his biggest challenge, with the help of partner Ann-Marie; returning to the scene of the attack on December 8.

He said: "I had never been near George Square when the Christmas stuff is there because it was triggering. I stayed away because that's where I remember collapsing and nearly losing my life. I met my partner two years ago and she has changed things massively for me. She pushed me to go and I'm proud that I can only thank her for that because I might not have faced it otherwise.

"I can't believe how easy it was turning a negative memory into a positive one with her support."

Following the attack, Jamie McInally was sentenced to six years in prison. Caitlin Caskie admitted assaulting Mr Tierney by hitting him on the body and was given a one-year supervision order and 100 hours unpaid work. As part of his healing journey Stephen also launched a men's mental health group, as well his documenting his struggles and things that helped him on TikTok, which has helped hundreds of men deal with their own issues from PTSD to gambling.

Anyone wishing to view his account can do so here.

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