A thug stabbed his cousin in the neck in a murder bid because he was annoying him.

Declan Keyes, 18, turned on Jamie Bryson, 27, at a property in Airdrie on January 26 2023.

Keyes struck Mr Bryson on an artery. He would have died but for his medical attention.

Keyes pleaded guilty on Wednesday at the High Court in Glasgow to attempted murder.

The court heard that Keyes and second cousin Bryson were drinking together with his granddad.

Keyes left to have dinner with his grandmother at her house before returning to his granddad's house with a pizza for him.

Keyes, of Airdrie, was later spotted exiting his granddad's house with his hands in his pockets.

Mr Bryson was heard shouting: "I need you to help me."

The witness noticed Bryson had a neck injury and was bleeding - he stated that he had been stabbed.

Bryson made gargling noises and was unable to speak.

Keyes meantime returned to his grandmother's house where he said: "I have stabbed Jamie, I don't know if I stabbed him on the neck."

Prosecutor BJ Gill said: "He said Mr Bryson was shoving and pushing him and he was sick of it.

"He said he used her knife which he took without his grandmother's knowledge from her draining board."

Keyes later claimed that he was being bullied by Mr Bryson.

Police traced Keyes and arrested him before he told officers that the knife was in his jacket pocket in another room.

The knife which was bloodstained and contained Mr Bryson's DNA was 174 centimetres long.

He later told officers when quizzed that Mr Bryson was "annoying me."

Mr Bryson was taken to hospital meantime where he was found to have suffered a wound to his subclavian artery.

He was noted to be grey and cold to the touch.

Mr Bryson was given two blood transfusions before he became stable.

Mr Gill said: "As a result of his injury to his artery, his life was in danger.

"Had he not received the treatment, he would have died.

"He has been left with permanent scarring and disfigurement on his neck."

Rhonda Anderson, defending, told the court that Mr Bryson claims he does not remember the incident.

Sentence was deferred until the end of next month by Judge Douglas Brown who continued Keyes' remand in custody meantime.