Men jailed for 14 years for stabbing man to death in street brawl

Three men have been sentenced for their parts in the death of a man who was fatally stabbed with his own knife.

Alexander McLennan, 56, died after being stabbed through the heart in a street brawl at Dundee's Kingsway on January 7.

Ross Ramsay, 30, John Cassidy, 31, and Steven Batchelor, 31, were originally accused of murdering Mr McLennan.

Mr McLennan was punched and kicked in the attack and was also hit on the head with an iron bar.

But at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday pleas to lesser charges were accepted by the Crown.

Cassidy pleaded guilty to culpable homicide and Ramsay and Batchelor admitted seriously assaulting Mr McLennan of Longtown Place, Dundee.

Not guilty pleas a charge of attacking and robbing William McLennan, jnr, and to attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of evidence after the fight were accepted.

On Thursday the men returned to the dock and were jailed for a total of 14 years.

Cassidy was jailed for seven years while Ramsay was jailed for three years and nine months and Batchelor was jailed for three years and four months.

Judge Lord Bracadale told Cassidy: "Even accepting that Mr McLennan produced the knife first, you disarmed him and went on to stab him twice. One of the blows was to the heart causing him fatal injury."

Sentencing the three the judge said he accepted there was a background of ill-feeling and violence but they had left a house to confront Mr McLennan who was a significantly older man.

"All three were involved together in punching, kicking and struggling with him. In your case, Cassidy, it also involved striking him on the head and body with an iron bar", said the judge.

The three men, who all have records for violence, had been freed on bail after an appearance at Dundee Sheriff Court on January 5.

Following their arrest on the murder charge on January 10, all three were held in Perth Prison pending their appearance at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Advocate depute Douglas Fairley, prosecuting, said: "The origin of the offences appeared to lie in an ongoing dispute between the three accused on the one hand and members of the deceased's family, including the deceased, on the other."

The court also heard that the two sides had met days before the killing to try to solve their differences, but the meeting ended in blows.

On January 7 the men had clashed again and all three attacked Mr McLennan.

Defence QC Brian McConnachie said Cassidy had been slashed by Alexander McLennan and had been treated in hospital.

He said: "In the course of the assault the deceased produced a knife and used it on Cassidy, causing the injury which was seen by the casualty surgeon. Cassidy engaged in further struggle with the accused and disarmed him.

"He accepts that at that point he was the person in possession of the knife and he inflicted two wounds on the deceased which effectively caused his death."

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