The mother of a teenage soldier stabbed while home on leave has spoken of her shock over the attack.
Guardsman Shaun McLellan, 18, is recovering in hospital after the unprovoked attack in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, in the early hours of Sunday.
Police are treating the incident in the Clune Brae area as attempted murder.
The teenager serves with 1st Battalion The Scots Guards, the soldiers responsible for guarding the Queen, and is based at Wellington Barracks in London.
His mother Josephine told the Daily Record: "It is a terrible shock. Shaun is so-so and we are just hoping he is going to be all right."
The newspaper reported that he was attacked following a night out to celebrate his 18th birthday.
Doctors at Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock described his condition as serious but stable.
Detective Constable Gary Gillen of Strathclyde Police said: "Extensive police inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding this violent attack and exactly where it took place. Officers are currently carrying out door-to-door inquiries and checking CCTV footage in the local area to try and gather more information.
"I would ask anyone with any information that may help police inquiries to come forward as a matter of urgency."
The suspect is thought to be in his 20s, around 5ft 2in and of stocky build.
