A knife thug has been jailed for life after murdering a father who was trying to save his neighbour from being beaten up.
John Blake, 22, was found guilty of murdering Sean Stark, 25, with a kitchen knife outside his home - just days after being released from jail.
He repeatedly stabbed the doting father after he stepped in to help his neighbour James Black from a street fight. The tragic father-of-two was left bleeding to death in the middle of the road outside his home in Lochgelly, Fife, on May 31.
Blake fled the scene, dumped the knife and clothes, and later claimed he had acted in self defence. On Thursday, a jury of 10 men and five women took three hours to find him guilty of murder by a majority verdict after a five day trial.
Sentencing him to life, Lord Bonomy told him: "The verdict of the jury must come as no surprise to you. You armed yourself with a knife and attacked a person who posed no serious threat to you and had not been involved in earlier events.
"You inflicted six stab wounds, three of which could have killed him, and one which penetrated the lung and heart twice. These events are a graphic illustration of what can happen on the streets of Scotland on a Saturday night when young men fuelled with alcohol go out armed seeking confrontation.
"This left a gaping hole in the lives of Sean Stark's family and the lives of others he touched."
The High Court in Aberdeen heard Blake had a "substantial" number of previous convictions, including possession of a knife and three assaults. He had been released from jail after serving a 24-month sentence for assault just six weeks before he murdered Mr Stark with a knife.
After the hearing, Mr Stark's family branded the murderer a "scumbag". His partner, Mel, said: "I'm glad - he deserved everything he got in that court room.
"Sean was a comic, he loved his family, loved his pals and loved his animals. Everybody loved Sean. It's been devastating for the whole family. Every single one of us."
But the mother-of-two said she was disappointed Blake refused to apologise for her boyfriend's death in court. She said: "It just goes to show the type of person he is - he's got no remorse for anyone or anything. Everybody in Lochgelly will be very glad."
Earlier the jury heard the row had erupted after Mr Black flirted with two girls asking them for a date. One of the girls, Jade Clark, 19, phoned her boyfriend Jamie Clarke to complain about the man who was refusing to leave their flat.
Mr Clarke, Blake and two other pals went home early in a taxi from a night out in Dunfermline to look for the man. When they went out on to the street, Mr Clarke punched Mr Black and Blake then launched his attack on Mr Stark.
Miss Clark rushed to help Sean, who was lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the road, but could do nothing to save him. The Celtic supporter was rushed to Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline but died of his injuries at 2am.
He leaves behind his partner Melanie Stewart and their two girls, aged one and three. Blake was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by hiding the knife in a bush and washing his clothes.
But Lord Bonomy admonished him on the charge. The thug was told he must serve a minimum of 17 years before applying for parole. Reading a family statement outside court, Sean's uncle Michael Stark, 34, said the family were satisfied with the sentence handed down.
He said: "Today will never bring back Sean, but as a family we are are pleased with the sentence provided. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the case, in particular, Fife Police, the ambulance staff, hospital staff at Queen Margaret Dunfermline and the members of the jury."
