A MAN who survived losing four pints of blood in a Clydebank street after he was attacked in broad daylight has described the “horror” for the first time.

Stuart Findlay was stabbed in the back and spent 11 days in intensive care after William McArthur attacked him in the middle of Kirkoswald Drive on Sunday, January 19 this year.

McArthur, 41, was originally charged with attempted murder. But at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of assault to severe injury and danger to life.

The violent thug, who has 22 previous convictions, was jailed for five years and three months – a sentence Mr Findlay said was far too lenient.

Mr Findlay suffered multiple stab wounds, including once in the back and once in the leg, as well as a punctured lung and a fractured rib.

Mr Findlay told the Post: “How much closer to attempted murder could it be? What did I do to him that I had to die?

“I appreciate it’s over, but I would have liked the jury to hear what happened.

“I survived being stabbed five times. I survived 10 days – the 11th was too much for my courage.”

The High Court heard a version of events, agreed upon by McArthur’s defence and the prosecution, that the men knew each other but didn’t get on – and that Mr Findlay had turned up with an “axe”.

Mr Findlay told the Post three of his car tyres were stabbed in the early hours of January 19.

He said he didn’t know who did it until McArthur attacked him later that day.

And he said the axe claim was “imagined” - and was only made three days after he was stabbed.

His car was in the process of being taken to have the tyres changed when the attack happened.

Mr Findlay, 56, said: “Nobody said I was armed. I was defenceless. I still don’t know what it was about.

“He stormed out of a close. I think it was premeditated.

“I don’t feel safe. How can you feel safe when you were stabbed?”

The dad of three said neighbours rushed towards him with towels to stem the bleeding, and said it “must have been terrible” for people to see what happened in broad daylight.

“This is a community that acted in complete horror that someone like [McArthur] lived there,” he said.

“My youngest thought she had lost her dad.

“We are recovering as a family. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me – I want them to know one of its residents was kicked to jail. I’m a survivor. I’m not his victim.

“Five years and three months isn’t discouraging knife crime. It’s not taking into consideration my ordeal.”

McArthur, of Montrose Street, bit his partner on Hogmanay 2018 because she bought the wrong colour of toilet paper, and has convictions dating back to 1994. His most recent offences were in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Mr Findlay said he was grateful to his support network following the incident, and said his 56th birthday was the “best ever” thanks to still being alive.

He said: “I can remember everything that happened. You can’t imagine the horror of it.

“The amount of love I have seen completely trumps the hate that caused this.

“You have to take these wee moments and count your blessings. And now I know I can tolerate pain for 10 days.”

Lady Stacey backdated McArthur’s sentence to January 21, 2020.