A man tried to kill his friend by shoving him down stairs then stabbing him with a knife moments after giving him a hug.

John McGrandle later insisted David Kettles had injured himself during the incident in a common close in Dundee last November.

The 42-year-old was convicted of attempted murder, however, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Judge Sean Murphy QC jailed McGrandle for seven years after telling him the assault had "potentially fatal consequences".

McGrandle already had convictions for assault and possession of a knife. The judge further ordered him to be supervised for a further two years on his release.

Victim Mr Kettles told a jury how he had been visiting his girlfriend at her flat on Court Street in Dundee before going to a local shop.

When he returned, McGrandle was inside the close arguing with another resident, Robert Ramsay.

Mr Kettles recalled letting Mr Ramsay into his partner's home in a bid to "calm it down" before asking McGrandle to leave.

He said: "He cuddled me, said all right and then pushed me downstairs."

Mr Kettles told the jury he then remembered blood "coming out" of him. He initially thought he had been punched before realising he had been stabbed.

Mr Kettles was asked if he had seen a knife and replied: "It was definitely a knife. I saw the glint. He was taking his anger out on me. It was meant for Rab."

The victim denied a claim he had grabbed a weapon from the kitchen and stabbed himself after falling downstairs.

He told the court: "I've never carried a knife or used a knife. I'm not a violent person."

Mr Kettles also refuted an accusation he had confronted McGrandle because the witness's lover had cheated on him with the accused.

McGrandle was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by disposing of the knife and then hiding in a wardrobe in a bid to avoid arrest.

Ronnie Renucci, defending, said the attack involved "an unusual set of circumstances".