A drug dealer who took a man’s life by stabbing him 13 times with a dagger during a violent row in Fraserburgh has been locked up for six years.
Alfie Whelan, 21, assaulted Michael Jenkins, 24, at the assailant’s Broch flat on June 4 last year.
The High Court heard how Mr Jenkins, a fishing boat worker, stumbled out of the property into the street covered in blood and screamed for help from passersby.
However, he collapsed and succumbed to his injuries.
Whelan was arrested soon after the crime and charged with murder.
But last September prosecutors accepted a plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide following a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.
Violent altercation at Fraserburgh flat
Today, Whelan’s case called before judge Lord Fairley at the High Court in Edinburgh. The accused watched proceedings via video link from YOI Polmont as Lord Fairley told him of his fate.
Passing sentence, Lord Fairley also ordered Whelan to be supervised by the authorities for four years following his release from custody.
He told Whelan: “Given the seriousness of this offence to which you pleaded guilty to, it is clear that only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate in the circumstances.
“I have read the victim impact statement provided to the court by Mr Jenkin’s father. The extent of his pain and suffering is clear for all to see.
“He says losing his son in the way that he did is excruciating.”
At earlier proceedings, Whelan also pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine from the house in Fraserburgh’s Watermill Road where he took Mr Jenkins’s life.
On that occasion, the court heard how Mr Jenkins had gone to Whelan’s flat that day with a woman he knew.
The court heard the property was in an “untidy state” with an axe and a dagger lying on the living room floor. Mr Jenkins and the woman left but returned around 6pm.
Prosecutor Chris McKenna said a “violent altercation” then occurred between Mr Jenkins and Whelan.
Mr McKenna said: “During the course of this, Whelan stabbed him 13 times with a dagger.”
‘I thought I was going to die’
Mr Jenkins was said to have picked up the other bladed weapon in the flat. The victim was spotted leaving the close with no top on and obviously hurt.
Other residents rushed to his aid before emergency paramedics arrived.
Mr McKenna said “extensive efforts” were made to save him, but Mr Jenkins passed away.
Police had followed a trail of blood back to the flat and found a “highly agitated” Whelan still there.
He was later charged and stated: “I thought I was going to die.”
The weapons involved were also found and each were heavily bloodstained.
Detectives later learned that in prison calls to a female friend, Whelan told her: “The guy tried to kill me.”
He stated he had also been badly injured later concluding: “I was not going to die. It was either me or him.”
Mr McKenna said the culpable homicide plea was accepted on the basis of provocation.
The court also heard that Whelan, originally from Sutton, South London, had a previous conviction for possession of a knife.
His lawyer said he had a “disrupted and challenging childhood”.
‘A despicable crime with tragic consequences’
Mark Stewart KC, defending, added there had been a disagreement over money on the night of the killing which “spilled into violence”.
The advocate stated what took place was “clearly not a one-sided incident”, but that self-defence could not be put forward as to what then happened.
Mr Jenkins was from Workington in Cumbria and had been part of the crew of a fishing boat berthed at Peterhead Harbour before his death.
On Monday, Mr Stewart was not available to address the court.
Whelan’s junior counsel, solicitor advocate Iain Jane, told Lord Fairley that his client accepted that his actions were wrong.
Mr Jane told the court that Whelan’s parents had abandoned him as a child and that he spent periods of time in care growing up.
He added: “This falls to be described as a despicable crime with tragic consequences.”