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Tragic hero’s family hit out
at knife crime
By Adam Docherty
THE heartbroken family of a Scottish war hero who died in an alleged knife attack have teamed up with leading anti-blade campaigner John Muir.
Scots guardsman Paul McGee (28) — who won the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery for trying to save a fellow soldier in Iraq — was fatally wounded outside his family home in Renfrewshire last October.
His mum Anne and sister Kelly (26) had an emotional meeting with John Muir and his daughter Vicky last week — and vowed to support Damian’s Law campaign for tougher sentences for knife crime.
Mr Muir’s son Damian (34) was killed in an unprovoked knife attack in Greenock in July 2007.
“We made contact with John after we heard about the Damian’s Law campaign,” explained Kelly. “Like John, we want mandatory minimum sentences for anyone caught carrying a knife.
Terrible
“While educating schoolchildren about the terrible consequences of knife crime is a definitely a good thing, something needs to be done about those who are involved in knife crime right now.
“We do not want anyone else to go through what we have gone through.
“It was a pleasure to meet John and his daughter Vicky. This is the first time we’ve met anyone in the same situation and it was a great comfort to us.
“John was able to give us advice on how to cope with what lies in front of us in terms of the forthcoming trial.
“My brother served his country.
“He put his life on the line as a soldier. We never expected him to lose his life like this. What everyone has to realise is that what happened to Paul can happen to anybody.”
Mr Muir said, “We hope Kelly and her mum can take some heart from what we told them about our experiences.
“We can understand exactly how they feel and what they are going through right now. We told them that they have to stand tall to get through the difficult times. They will be a great help to the campaign.”
Petition
In January Kelly and her family followed in the footsteps of the Damian’s Law campaign by starting a petition demanding mandatory sentences for knife carriers. It’s entitled “Carry a knife — go to jail”.
They’ve already gathered more than 6000 signatures — 2000 on the online petition and 4000 collected by family and friends taking the petition around the local community.
On Friday Kelly and John met with Trish Godman, the MSP for West Renfrewshire, to discuss new ideas for tackling knife crime in the constituency.
Guardsman McGee had been working in an army recruiting office in Scotland at the time of his death.
He was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery in July 2008 after risking his life trying to save fellow Guardsman Stephen Ferguson while on a tour of duty in Iraq.
Guardsman Ferguson (31), of 1st Battalion Scots Guards, originally from Lanarkshire, was injured when his Warrior armoured vehicle slid into a canal while manoeuvring in the dark during a routine patrol near Basra city in December 2007.
Guardsman McGee and other soldiers freed him from the vehicle and gave first aid. He was flown back to the UK for medical treatment but later died from his injuries.
Two 28-year-old men have been charged with Paul McGee’s murder.
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