Two brothers have this afternoon been found guilty over the fatal stabbing of Peterhead dad Andrew Ross.
The jury found Luke Allan, 28, unanimously guilty of murder while his younger brother Ethan Carlyle, 23, was convicted by majority of the lesser charge of assault with a knife.
Mr Ross, 52, was stabbed to death in what was described as a “cold-blooded” and “frenzied” attack outside a flat on Ives Road in Peterhead on February 5 2023.
The jury of eight men and seven women took just over five hours to reach their verdicts.
Judge Graeme Buchanan thanked the jurors and deferred sentence on the brothers until December.
Allan was remanded in custody and Carlyle – who cried as the verdict was delivered – was released on bail.
Mr Ross was found lying in a pool of his own blood outside Allan’s Ives Road address having sustained 18 stab wounds.
The jury was told Allan repeatedly stabbed Mr Ross with the knife and one of the blows struck his heart, causing massive blood loss and ultimately cardiac arrest.
Mr Ross and a friend, Barry Middleton, had gone to Allan’s flat with the intention of stealing drugs.
However, violence erupted once they went inside and both men ended up fleeing the flat.
Incident caught on camera
CCTV taken from a property next door to Allan’s was played for the jury and showed Mr Ross and Mr Middleton running away from the property, followed closely by Allan and Carlyle.
Mr Ross is seen falling at he gate and is on the ground as Allan directs several “stabbing motion” blows to his torso.
Carlyle also approaches the prone Mr Ross and is seen to inflict two downward blows.
Advocate depute Lindsey Dalziel had urged the jury to convict both men of murder.
She said: “What happened was a frenzied cold-blooded attack – a murderous attack by two brothers acting in concert which was grossly disproportionate to anything that went before it – ending with blood pooled on the street.”
Ethan Carlyle’s defence counsel Gareth Jones KC asked the jury to convict his client only of an assault, adding: “His criminality falls short of murder and amounts to nothing more than assault under these circumstances and from extreme provocation.”
Judge Graeme Buchanan allowed Carlyle to be released on bail until sentencing in December due to his lack off previous offending and “good character”.
He asked for reports to be prepared for Carlyle and also a restriction of liberty order as a non-custodial sentence was “possible”, adding: “You have been convicted of a much less serious offence than the one of murder which you were facing originally.”
Life sentence
Speaking to Allan, Judge Buchanan said: “You have been convicted of murder. The only sentence the court can impose in that situation is one of life imprisonment.
“I am required to consider what is an appropriate punishment part and specifically the number of years you will be required to spend in prison as punishment before you will be considered for release on licence.”
He also asked for background reports for Allan and made mention of his “significant” criminal record, stating that he had served a two-year sentence for supplying cocaine in 2016.
Allan showed no emotion as the verdict was read out nor as he was led away from the dock.
In a comment directed at the jury, one of Allan’s family remarked loudly: “I hope yous can sleep at night”.
Allan and Carlyle will return to the High Court in Aberdeen for sentencing on December 9.
Family’s statement
Following the verdicts, Andrew Ross’ mum, Cathy, issued a statement.
She said: “Andrew’s murder has devastated the whole family and everyone who knew him, especially his daughters who have lost a loving father.
“He always had a smile for everybody and was soft-hearted. We’ll never come to terms with what happened but are glad justice has been done and those responsible will face the consequences.”
Detective Inspector James Callander, of the Major Investigation Team North, said: “Throughout the investigation and court process Allan and Carlyle have shown little remorse for their crimes. I hope these convictions give Mr Ross’ family some form of comfort as they continue to grieve their loss.
“I’d like to thank the local community for their support and members of the public who came forward with information which helped reach this conclusion today.
“This incident involved controlled drugs, left one man dead and a family devastated.
“We know drugs can have serious consequences for those who use them, but crimes associated with drugs have much wider ramifications. Police Scotland is committed to tackling the supply and distribution of harmful substances to make our communities safer.”