Scottish court jails Joseph Kearins for culpable homicide of Jordan McGuire

June 5, 2013

A judge at the in Glasgow, Scotland yesterday sentenced Joseph Kearins to eight years in prison after he pled guilty to. The 23-year-old fatally injured his friend, 23-year-old Jordan McGuire, when he stabbed him in a Glasgow apartment on October 1, 2012, according to .

The court was told of how Kearins had got into an argument with McGuire after consuming what judge Lady Scott called a "staggering amount of alcohol" and. McGuire, who had also been consuming alcohol and drugs at the time, attacked Kearins during the argument. "It was Mr McGuire who started the fight and you were subjected to a quite serious assault," the judge said.

During the fight, Kearins took hold of a knife from the kitchen of the Shettleston Road flat and stabbed McGuire through his heart, causing him to collapse. The judge commented on how Kearins "expressed remorse at the scene". The court was told that as McGuire was dying of his injuries, Kearins said: "Don't die. What the fuck have I done?"

The court was told of how Kearins had experienced a problematic childhood in which he had commenced consuming cannabis when he was aged nine and had been committing offences as young as twelve. Kearins had 23 prior convictions.

After being initially charged with murder, Kearins gave a guilty plea for the lesser charge of culpable homicide. Derrick Nelson, the defence counsel, said Kearins "has always accepted responsibility for stabbing Mr McGuire. He is remorseful for what he did."

As well as the eight year prison imprisonment, judge Lady Scott also sentenced Kearins to a four month supervision order after his release from prison as she considered him a public threat. As she passed sentence, Lady Scott warned Kearins: "If you keep drinking you will have no future and will continue to offend."