Two convicted of man's hammer murder

Published on Wednesday 23 July 2008 00:44

A MAN and a woman were yesterday convicted of murder after beating their victim 80 times with a hammer and then stabbing him in the chest with a fork.

Ian Taylor, 35, from the Gorbals, and 38-year-old Tracey Hastie, from Royston, had blamed each other for the attack on Brian Sharp.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how Mr Sharp, 38, was attacked at his flat in Milton, Glasgow, in October 2006.

Judge Lord Brailsford deferred sentence and remanded both in custody.

The court heard that Taylor and Hastie had met at an addiction rehabilitation centre. Hastie was once a neighbour of Mr Sharp.

In October 2006, the accused had been drinking with Mr Sharp at his house in north Glasgow when they turned on him.

The jury was told that they taped their victim to a chair, beat him with a hammer at least 80 times and then stabbed him in the chest with a fork.

The pair left their victim before Mr Sharp's body was discovered in the flat at around 2pm on 24 October, 2006.

Both accused denied the murder, claiming the other had carried out the attack.

The motive for the murder is still unclear. The court heard the pair had been drinking Buckfast.

A jury yesterday found them guilty of murdering Mr Sharp at his flat in the city's Scaraway Terrace on 23 or 24 October, 2006.

Lord Brailsford deferred sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh until September for background reports.

But as he remanded them in custody, he warned: "I am obliged to impose life imprisonment."

Both Taylor and Hastie waved and gave the thumbs up to friends in the public gallery as they were being lead to the cells.

Taylor had initially appeared in court in connection with the death days after Mr Sharp's body was found.

However, he was released after the charges were later dropped.

He was then re-arrested along with Hastie, of the city's Rosemount Street, Royston, last August following new evidence.