Man who killed workmate in 'savage' screwdriver attack jailed

A killer who hunted down a former workmate and stabbed him to death with a screwdriver was jailed for life today for the murder.

A judge told Agnew (29) at the High Court in Edinburgh: This was a sickening and savage attack.

Scott Agnew was ordered to serve at least 18 and a half years in prison after fatally wounding Stewart Rexter in the attack over a debt.

A judge told Agnew (29) at the High Court in Edinburgh: “This was a sickening and savage attack.”

Lord Clark said the evidence was that the victim had owed Agnew, who has previous convictions for drug offences, £300 or £400, which according to some witnesses was a drug debt.

The judge said: “You went looking for him and having found him you attacked him.”

Lord Clark said the brain injury Agnew inflicted on his 38-year-old victim was “unsurvivable” and he succumbed two days later.

The judge said that the information before him included a statement from Mr Rexter’s father and added: “Your murderous attack has had a profound effect on the family.”

He said that he had to take into account that the deadly assault was premeditated and that in the sudden attack Agnew had inflicted “catastrophic injury”.

The judge told Agnew that six months of his minimum jail term was because he had committed the offence while on bail.

Agnew, formerly of Kirkton Crescent, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, had denied murdering Mr Rexter on November 3 last year at Victoria Place, Airdrie, by repeatedly punching him on the head and body and striking him with a screwdriver after previously showing malice and ill-will towards him, but was earlier convicted of the offence. He had been freed on bail from Airdrie Sheriff Court on September 12.

The killer was heard threatening to stab his victim before the fatal attack because he had failed to repay money he had owed for five months.

Agnew’s trial heard that his friends had called him when they spotted Mr Rexter - known as Chico - in Airdrie at about 5pm on the day of the murder.

He told them to trail his target until he got there and caught up with them and accelerated towards Mr Rexter before braking beside him and jumping out of his BMW X5 vehicle to launch the assault.

He grabbed Mr Rexter by his clothing and punched him before stabbing him with the deadly weapon. The victim suffered a two inch deep wound to his right temple which pierced his skull and caused internal bleeding. He died in hospital two days later.

Jurors at Agnew’s trial were shown footage of the attack captured on CCTV cameras at private homes.

They also heard from Agnew’s girlfriend, Lisa Armstrong (26) who was in the car with him before the murder. She said Agnew told her he had “just stabbed Chico”.

“He brought out a screwdriver and chucked it out the car window onto the grass verge,” she said.

Advocate depute David Taylor told jurors that the victim knew he was hunted. He said: “He knew that he was prey. he knew that his £400 from the summer had not gone away.”

“Scott Agnew was there in anger, intent on finding Stewart Rexter, intent on punishing him for his failure to pay debt,” he said.

Agnew claimed that he had acted in self defence and said: “I definitely did not mean to kill him. I wouldn’t want to kill anybody.”

Defence counsel Andrew Murphy said Agnew had admitted that he intended to challenge his victim and that he was angry.

Agnew told a social worker that he had allowed anger and feelings of betrayal “to overwhelm him”.

Mr Murphy said: “He is deeply saddened that his reckless behaviour led to the death of Mr Rexter.”