Man jailed after killing neighbour for ginger jibe

David Findlay died following the knife attack

Labourer Alan Storie, 26, was convicted of murdering David Findlay on 29 June last year, at Toryglen Road, Rutherglen.

At the High Court in Glasgow yesterday judge Lord Bonomy sentenced Storie to life imprisonment and ordered him to serve at least 16 years behind bars before being eligible for parole.

Storie told police who arrested him: “He’ll never call me a ginger-heided b****** in his life again.”

The High Court in Glasgow was shown CCTV footage taken at the waiting room in Cathcart police station, which revealed Storie making the remark.

It was also claimed by another neighbour Lisa Hester that as 41-year-old Mr Findlay lay dying Storie shouted: “He’ll no call me a ginger-heided c***.”

However Storie denied ever saying this.

Mr Findlay died in a pool of blood. His windpipe was cut through and his carotid artery and jugular vein were severed in the savage attack.

Jailing Storie, judge Lord Bonomy told him: “Nothing I’ve heard here or during the trial can begin to explain the callous and vindictive attack on David Findlay, essentially slashing him outside his own home.”

The court heard that a row developed after Storie went to see whether Mr Findlay wanted to played on the X-box with him and was asked to leave. In the past the two men had played X-box games together.

Both men had words outside the block of flats at 2:10am which included Mr Findlay making derogatory remarks about the colour of Stories’s hair.

The Crown say it was a this point the fatal blow was struck and Mr Findlay crawled back upstairs and lay dying outside his flat.

But Storie claimed that he didn’t slash Mr Findlay outside the flats. He alleged that they went inside and minutes later Mr Findlay banged on his door repeatedly.

Storie said he looked out of his spyhole and thought Mr Findlay had a dagger – although no weapon was ever found.

Storie told the jury he went to his kitchen, grabbed a large butcher’s knife, opened the door and slashed Mr Findlay on the neck.

The gaping wound, caused massive blood loss and Mr Findlay collapsed outside his flat.

Storie left his flat taking the murder weapon with him. At 3am he phoned his gran and told her: “It’s Alan. I think I’ve murdered a boy. I tried to get him on the face and I think I got him on the neck.”

In evidence dad-of-one Storie admitted slashing Mr Findlay with the knife, but claimed he was acting in self-defence.

He said: “I didn’t even want to hit him with the knife. If he hadn’t challenged me at my door I would never have hit him.

“I just wanted to get him away from my door.”

Advocate depute David Taylor, prosecuting, revealed that Storie has 20 previous convictions at summary level including ones for assault, domestic violence and police assault.

Defence QC Frances McMenamin told the court that Storie was bullied at school because of his hair colour.

She added: “From the age of 13 he was subjected to two significant experiences of bullying at school. These experiences have clearly had a profound impact on him.”