Blinding duo 'face years in jail'

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Two Belfast men found guilty of a stabbing which left a man blinded have been told they face "very, very many years" in prison.

Alan Stewart, 20, from Finnis Close, and Adam Smyth, 19, from Best's Hill were found guilty by a Belfast Crown Court jury.

Mr Justice McLaughlin said they would pay a "heavy price" for their actions.

Killyleagh man Marc Keller, 29, was stabbed in Donegall Square West in 2005 while on a night out.

He was with his younger brother Anthony and two friends before the attack, outside the Northern Bank early on November 6.

One of the stab wounds sliced a main artery in his heart while a lung was also damaged in the attack.

His brother sustained a stab wound to his leg and required dental work after being kicked in the mouth during the incident.

These two will rue the day they took a knife in to the city centre and attacked Marc Keller Mr Justice McLaughlin Crown Court judge

Speaking after the guilty verdicts were passed, Mr Keller said he believed "justice had been done".

The County Down man, who walks with the aid of a stick and wears dark glasses, described his sight following the stabbing as distorted, adding: "It's like when you're in a swimming pool and you open your eyes under the water and it's all blurry."

Smyth was found guilty of attempting to murder Marc Keller while Stewart was found guilty of causing him grievous bodily harm with intent.

The pair were also found guilty of wounding Anthony Keller with intent and of causing him actual bodily harm.

Mr Justice McLaughlin said before the attack, Stewart and Smyth had consumed drink and drugs "as if they were Smarties and lemonade".

He described them as "part and parcel of the plague of violence" gripping cities and towns across Northern Ireland.

"These two will rue the day they took a knife in to the city centre and attacked Marc Keller the way they did," he said.

"They will be in prison for very very many years and I will ensure they cannot be released until they have changed their attitudes."

Both Smyth and Stewart denied their roles in the attack on the Keller brothers, claiming a third man they were with armed himself with the knife and carried out the stabbings.

They will be sentenced at a later date following the preparation of pre-sentence reports.