DAVE FINLAY

A savage knife attacker is facing life imprisonment after stabbing to death a young man who was on a night out with his girlfriend.

Jack Mallon, 47, plunged a blade into 20-year-old Jordan MacKay's neck leaving the victim's girlfriend screaming for help.

Mallon was found guilty of murdering Mr MacKay and his former girlfriend, Charlene Wilson, was convicted of killing the victim on a reduced charge of culpable homicide.

The pair had both denied murdering joiner Mr MacKay, of Kirkliston, near Edinburgh, in the attack in the early hours of July 13 at The Loan, in South Queensferry.

Mallon had lodged a special defence claiming that he was acting in defence of himself and his co-accused, during their trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The jury's decision to convict Mallon of the murder was greeted with cries of "yes" from the public benches in court.

The victim was taken to hospital in Edinburgh following the knife assault in South Queensferry but died despite the efforts of medical staff after sustaining a wound that was over four inches long.

After the attack Mallon said: "I have stabbed somebody. I think I am going down for it."

He was also heard to say: "I have stabbed someone in the neck and killed him."

Mr MacKay and his girlfriend had been out socialising in the town where Wilson was also drinking. Mallon later arrived in South Queensferry by car after Wilson contacted him.

Wilson (37) from Kikrliston, had been at the Stag's Head in South Queensferry's High Street and had shouted at Mr MacKay' girlfriend who "laughed it off".

One witness said that as they were leaving the pub Wilson tried to slap Mr MacKay.

Outside the bar Wilson clashed with others, with some viewing it as "a bit of banter".

One witness said: "She seemed angry about what just happened down in the main street outside the Stag. She was threatening to get them all done in."

Another said that Wilson had made a threat to get Mallon down to carry out a stabbing.

Footage of the incident outside the pub was caught on CCTV and mobile phones and was shown to the jury.

Wilson was asked how she felt about her antics and said: "Disgusted with myself, embarrassed, it's just not something I am proud of."

She said: "I was really drunk that night and I can't really remember anything about it."

She told the court: "I would never want anybody to stab anyone. I would never, ever want anybody to be killed."

But prosecutor Iain McSporran said: "If it had not been for you Jordan MacKay would still be alive, wouldn't he?"

Wilson said: "I made a phone call but not for that to happen. I never got him to come down to do that."

Mr MacKay's mother, Elizabeth, told the court that her son had been "a big, handsome, strapping, strong boy".

Mrs MacKay said they were an ordinary family whose life had been destroyed.

The judge, Johanna Johnston QC, told Wilson and Mallon: "Each of you has been convicted of criminal responsibility for the death of Jordan MacKay."

She told Mallon there was only one sentence that could be imposed in his case for murder - life imprisonment. But the judge will need to set a minimum term he must in jail before he becomes eligible to seek release.

She deferred sentence on the pair, who were remanded in custody, until next month.

After the case finished Mr MacKay's family issued a statement in which they said they were relieved at the outcome of the verdict.

"We can now get some justice for our Jordan, but at the same time we are saddened knowing our country no longer supports capital punishment.

"Jack Mallon and Charlene Wilson will never have the same punishment we do. We are the ones with the life sentence having to live the rest of our lives without Jordan.

"The grief and pain this mindless act of violence has caused is indescribable. We can never laugh as hard or love as much as we did when our boy was here with us. Jordan was and always will remain engrained in our hearts forever more." "