Sectarian killer ordered to serve at least 15 years

THE sectarian killer of a teenage Celtic fan, whose proposed transfer to a jail in Northern Ireland caused a political storm in Scotland, will serve at least 15 years of a life sentence, a judge ruled yesterday.

Jason Campbell, 30, was convicted of murdering Mark Scott, 16, the son of a lawyer, in Glasgow in 1995.

Mark and two friends were walking along London Road after watching a Celtic game. They were met with a barrage of abuse outside a pub at Bridgeton Cross. Campbell crossed the road and approached Mark from behind. He slashed his throat and the youth bled to death within minutes.

In 1997, Campbell, from a staunchly loyalist family, was on the brink of being transferred to the Maze Prison, near Belfast, after a request by the Progressive Unionist Party as part of the peace process.

Opposition politicians reacted with fury to the prospect of such a brutal killer being afforded the status of a "political prisoner".

Donald Dewar, then Scottish Secretary, intervened and stopped the move.

Later, Mo Mowlam, Northern Ireland Secretary at the time, apologised to the Scott family.

In the wake of Mark’s murder, an anti-bigotry group, Nil by Mouth, was set up by Cara Henderson, a friend and former classmate at Glasgow Academy.

Yesterday, Campbell appeared again before the trial judge, Lord Sutherland.

Under new procedures to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, all life sentence prisoners in Scotland have to be told the minimum period they will serve.

At the end of the "punishment" period, the prisoner can be considered for parole. However, he or she will be released only if the parole board is satisfied that it would be safe to do so.

The defence counsel, Paul McBride, QC, told the High Court in Edinburgh that during his time in custody, Campbell had accepted his guilt, which was perhaps the first step towards rehabilitation.

Mr McBride argued that Campbell’s previous convictions for minor offences did not suggest he was necessarily a danger to the public, and he reminded Lord Sutherland that at the end of the trial, the judge had not thought fit to recommend the minimum term Campbell should serve of the mandatory life sentence

Lord Sutherland replied: "That was with considerable hesitation. It was quite an appalling crime."

The judge decided 15 years would be the appropriate punishment period.

He said Campbell had a previous conviction for carrying a knife, and added: "The victim was 16 years old and this murder was of a particularly brutal nature on an entirely innocent youth, minding his own business and walking along a public street in broad daylight. It was a piece of completely mindless violence."