Man convicted of killing brother in brutal knife attack

SELF-DEFENCE CLAIM REJECTED

- DAVE FINLAY

A man killed his own brother in a brutal knife attack that inflicted nine stab wounds on the victim who later died in hospital.

Boan D'Arc, 60, assaulted grandfather Jamieson McLelland at the victim's home in the village of Thornhill by repeatedly stabbing him on the body.

D'Arc, also known as Thomas McLelland, was accused of murdering his sibling but denied the crime, claiming that he acted in self-defence after he was attacked by his brother.

A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh rejected his self-defence plea but convicted him of the lesser charge of culpable homicide which does not carry the mandatory life sentence for murder.

The jurors accepted that the killing of Mr McLelland (56) at his home at The Hill, Thornhill, on January 6 last year was committed under provocation.

Mr McLelland, who had three grandchildren at the time of the fatal attack, was taken to hospital after the knife attack and underwent surgery to repair injuries to his bowels.