A MAN has been jailed for life for murdering a woman and killing a man following a wake for a tragic teenager.
Robert Stratton, 43, stabbed Julie McCash, 43, and David Sorrie, 32, following a February 2017 get together for the friends and family of Ralph Smith,18, in Dundee.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how pals of Mr Smith congregated at a house in the city’s Drumlanrig Drive in the early hours of February 26.
They had gathered in the hope that Mr Smith, who had earlier fallen from cliffs in Arbroath, Angus, was still alive. His dead body was eventually discovered on nearby beach in March 2017.
However, people at the party consumed alcohol and took illegal drugs. As the evening progressed, Stratton’s partner Lee Kinney got involved in an argument with fellow party goers and was beaten up in the street.
She said she was scared the people who had beaten her up were going to break into her house.
However, rather than wait for the police to arrive, Stratton left the property armed with two kitchen knives.
He stabbed Ms McCash before plunging a blade into Mr Sorrie.
Both later died from the injuries.
Stratton was found guilty of murdering Ms McCash and convicted of the culpable homicide under provocation of Mr Sorrie.
Friends and family of the deceased started screaming at the verdict of the jury. Police removed several people from court.
As he was being led from the dock, Stratton turned to friends and family who were still sitting in the court and said: “Are you happy now?”
Court security guards then rushed him into the secure cell area as people shouted and swore.
Following the verdicts, prosecution lawyer Alex Prentice QC revealed that Stratton had previously been given a seven year sentence at the High Court in Dunfermline for attempted murder.
Passing sentence, judge Lord Beckett told Stratton that he would have to serve 23 and a half years in jail before being eligible for parole.
He added: “The taking of two knives transformed a minor incident into two killings. For someone like you, with a previous conviction for attempted murder, who killed two people and in one case committed murder severe punishment is necessary.”
Stratton, of Dundee, had admitted killing the pair at the start of proceedings but claimed he acted in self defence.
Stratton said he took two knives from the kitchen and went outside because he wanted the people to leave his garden.
He said Ms McCash had ran into a knife which he was holding and he wasn’t “too sure” how Mr Sorrie came into contact with his blade.
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