Brothers jailed for life after brutal stabbing of gardener

Two brothers were jailed for life after they brutally murdered a man in a street attack while he was out working.

David Brookhouse or Sharp, 38, was ordered to serve at least 15 years in prison following the fatal attack on Daniel McGuigan.

His brother John Brookhouse, 35, was told he must spend 13 years in jail before he is eligible to apply for parole.

A third killer, a 15-year-old, who was aged 14 at the time of the assault and cannot be identified for legal reasons, had sentence deferred on him on Thursday.

The Brookhouse brothers earlier admitted murdering Mr McGuigan, 35, in the attack on May 24 last year at Stravanan Street, in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.

The Crown accepted the teenager’s guilty plea to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

A judge told the brothers at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You murdered Mr McGuigan just as he reached the time in his life where he had a positive future. He loved his job. He was engaged to be married.”

Lady Scott said the death had inflicted trauma on his partner and left family bereft.

The judge said: “There was a background here of long-standing bad feeling between members of your family and the deceased resulting in verbal arguments and threats on occasions when you came across each other.”

On the day of the attack Mr McGuigan and work colleagues were carrying out garden maintenance in the area and had stopped for a tea break.

John Brookhouse saw him and told his older brother and he suggested that they “get the tools out” and said he was going to kill the victim.

Advocate depute Bill McVicar said: “David Brookhouse got a knife from a kitchen drawer and John Brookhouse picked up an axe.”

A woman told them to “leave it” but they ignored her and went in pursuit of their target.

The teenager followed them and picked up a stick. The brothers saw Mr McGuigan standing next to his works van and ran towards him.

The prosecutor said: “John Brookhouse raised the axe above his head and swiped at the deceased two or three times with the axe and struck him with the weapon. David Brookhouse repeatedly stabbed the deceased.”

Mr McGuigan tried to defend himself by throwing a leaf blower at John Brookhouse and tried to flee but was chased by the brothers. The teenager hit him on the head with the piece of wood he was carrying.

Mr McVicar said: “The deceased was shouting and screaming. Various members of the public shouted at the accused to leave him alone.”

The brothers ran off after the attack leaving their victim bleeding heavily and a passerby went to his aid and emergency services were contacted.

Paramedics found he had sustained two stab wounds to the chest and another to his back.

A trauma team, including a doctor, arrived but were unable to save the victim.

Mr McGuigan was found to have died from a stab wound which went into a lung and his heart and pierced through the main artery, the aorta.

The court heard that both brothers, from Glasgow, have previous convictions for violence with the older sibling having a more serious record.

Defence counsel Gary Allan QC, for David Brookhouse, said he had suffered a brain injury as a child.

He said the older brother did not have any clear recollection of saying he was going to kill Mr McGuigan.

He added: “He doesn’t have any dispute with that. It may have been said but it was not meant literally, despite the outcome.”

Brian McConnachie QC, for John Brookhouse, said the father-of-four had “a relatively serious drink and drug problem” over the years.

He said: “There was no premeditation. It was chance that the deceased was in the area. The presence of the deceased was mere chance.”

Mr McConnachie said Brookhouse deeply regretted his involvement in the offence.

Lady Scott said she would continue the case of the teenager to get further information about his progress under supervision and to obtain advice from the children’s hearing system.