Dale Gardiner guilty of stabbing William Wardrop to death after PlayStation row

A man who stabbed his friend to death after a row broke out while they played PlayStation has been found guilty of culpable homicide.

Dale Gardiner knifed William Wardrop in the chest following a row after they had been playing PlayStation together at his home in Larkhall, Lanarkshire, on May 22, 2020.

Bowie, 25, stabbed the 23-year-old after getting in an argument with him after playing the games console.

Following his death, Gardiner claimed he was was acting in self defence during the incident, which saw Wardrop die in his home after staggering out the room.

After the attack, he was described as “hysterical” and crying about his “best friend”.

Gardiner said at one stage: “He ran at me and I stabbed him” adding “Is he alright, my pal Willie?”.

However, jurors found him guilty on Monday afternoon following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Despite being originally accused of murder, he was convicted of culpable homicide under provocation and will be sentenced next month.

Prosecutors insisted what he did was “nothing like a proportionate response”.

Prosecutor Stewart Ronnie stated the killer had “targeted William’s chest with a lethal weapon”.

In his speech to jurors, Mr Ronnie said: “It is also clear Dale Gardiner was telling anyone who asked what had happened.”