A 20-YEAR-OLD, who admitted killing a man with a sickle, was sent to a
young offenders' institution for 10 years yesterday.
The High Court at Glasgow heard that the Malcolm Kelt's sickle blow
had sliced into the left side of Mr Robert Findlay, 23, penetrating his
heart and lung. He died immediately.
Kelt, and his friend, Steven Auld, 20, who was armed with a sword,
then fled and were chased by a friend of the dead man who brandished a
steak knife.
Mr Steven Braceland, 25, told the court that he had intended to kill
the attackers or inflict as much agony on them as he could for what they
had done to his friend.
Midway through the trial, Kelt and Auld, who were accused of murder,
changed their pleas. Kelt, of Calvay Road, Barlanark, Glasgow, admitted
a reduced charge of culpable homicide and other charges of assaulting
two young women.
Auld, of Calvay Crescent, admitted presenting a sword and attempting
to strike Mr Findlay, of Garliston Road, Barlanark.
He also admitted attempting to strike Mr Braceland, of Westerhouse
Road, Easterhouse, with the sword.
The Judge, Lord Weir, sentenced Kelt to 10 years in a young offender's
institution and Auld to three years.
He told them: ''The jury and I have listened to a terrible story and
no right-minded person could avoid being shocked at the arsenal of
weapons involved.''
Lord Weir was referring to a large number of weapons found in the
cellar of Auld's home and in the street nearby, including a hatchet, two
swords, a piece of cue, two knives, a pickaxe handle with protruding
bolts, a sickle, a metal bar with two hooks, and a wooden baton.
The court was told that trouble developed shortly before the sickle
attack on October 1, last year. Kelt had given his former girlfriend
Semra Clarke, 19, a ring which she lost.
Miss Clarke, of 23 Calvay Road, told Mr Colin Boyd, prosecuting, that
Kelt attacked her twice, punching her and breaking her nose. Her friend,
Miss Helen Riddell, 18, of Calvay Crescent, was also attacked and beaten
when she protested.
Miss Riddell told friends about the beatings and they decided to
confront Kelt.
Mr Braceland told the court that he, Mr Findlay, and others went
looking for Kelt and found him and Auld in a car outside Auld's home.
They refused to get out and Braceland said that he and his friends
started smashing the windows. The two accused eventually fled.
Later that night, they were again outside Auld's house in Calvay
Crescent when they saw the same damaged car and Mr Findlay decided to
kick in another window and was half in and half out of the car.
He said that Auld, who had a sword, and Kelt, who was armed with a
sickle, ran out of the close and Auld swiped at him with the sword.
But this time, he was armed with a steak knife and tried to get it out
of his pocket. He saw Kelt and Auld running past him. The sickle fell to
the ground and he saw Mr Findlay lying face down. He thought that he was
dead.
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