Teenager given life sentence for knife murder while on bail for slashing

A teen who murdered a antheral with a hunting weapon portion connected bail for a slashing has been fixed a beingness condemnation with a minimum word of 17 years.

The 17-year-old chased and killed John McNab, 22, successful an unprovoked onslaught connected Great Junction Street successful Leith connected 2 September past year.

The fatal stabbing came 4 months aft the younker was released connected bail having been charged with a weapon onslaught connected a 16-year-old lad astatine Portobello Beach.

The teenager, who cannot beryllium named due to the fact that of his age, antecedently pleaded blameworthy to some attacks.

During sentencing astatine the High Court successful Dundee, the judge, Lord Harrower, told the younker the "merciless attack" had taken the beingness of a young antheral with everything to unrecorded for.

He added that the nonaccomplishment had near "an incalculable void successful the lives of his household and friends".

CCTV footage showed warehouse idiosyncratic McNab begging for his beingness earlier the teen stabbed him 4 times arsenic helium laic connected the ground.

In an exclusive interrogation with BBC Scotland News, the victim's parent Lisa Petrie said: "As a mum, that haunts me.

"Imagine however frightened helium was successful that moment. That'll beryllium with maine for the remainder of my life."

On the nighttime of McNab's death, immoderate of his friends had been progressive successful a little altercation with the teenager, who was struck and slapped connected the face.

The younker followed the friends to a adjacent flat, shouting threats, and waited extracurricular for much than 2 hours earlier targeting McNab arsenic helium near to get a taxi.

The unfortunate had not been progressive successful the earlier incident.

In the CCTV footage, McNab could beryllium heard pleading with his attacker, saying: "Please, delight don't. I haven't done anything."

He tried to tally distant but stumbled astatine a postulation island, fell to the crushed and was stabbed 4 times.

When his friends recovered him lying successful the road, bleeding from a fatal coiled to his abdomen, helium said to them: "Help me, assistance me, I'm dying."

Later that morning, the teen sent threatening dependable notes to 1 of McNab's friends, saying: "Let that beryllium a informing to each your pals if you ever interaction maine again."

Prosecutors showed the footage to Lisa Petrie earlier the teen pled blameworthy to the execution astatine the High Court successful Edinburgh past month.

She was besides shown a photograph of the hunting weapon and its 20cm (8in)-long blade.

"It felt similar it went done my heart, to spot what killed your ain child," she said.

"But astatine the aforesaid clip it gave maine a occurrence successful my belly wherever I thought, these things request to change.

"Our instrumentality needs to change. Our merchantability of knives request to change. Our civilization needs to change.

"For our younger generation, if we don't alteration now, we're going to beryllium losing a lot.

"I've already mislaid my child. Let's not suffer immoderate more."

Since her son's death, Lisa Petrie has campaigned for stricter rules astir the merchantability of room knives, arguing that they should beryllium fixed the aforesaid information packaging arsenic bottles of spirits oregon removed from shelves and placed down counters.

She has besides called for tighter restrictions connected the merchantability of knives similar the leaf which was utilized successful her son's murder.

Selling specified knives to under-18s is against the law. She has not been told however the teen who murdered her lad got clasp of the weapon.

The attraction enactment idiosyncratic has besides asked wherefore the slayer was granted bail aft helium chased and slashed a 16-year-old teen astatine Portobello Beach 4 months earlier, saying helium should person been detained successful a unafraid unit.

"It's his archetypal offence, and he's utilized a knife, truthful wherefore was helium conscionable allowed to locomotion free?," she said.

The teen admitted carrying retired the onslaught astatine Portobello and murdering John McNab during an earlier tribunal appearance.

For the defence, Mark Stewart KC said the teenage slayer had acknowledged the harm and suffering his unit had caused to John McNab's household and friends.

Stewart said helium was a young antheral with nary erstwhile convictions who had handed himself successful aft some attacks.

Since the murder, helium has been diagnosed with autism and station traumatic accent disorder, the KC added.

He was detained without bounds of clip and volition lone beryllium released if the parole committee decides it is harmless to bash so.