A man who stabbed his brother to death in “a moment of madness” was jailed for life today for the murder of his sibling who was knifed in the heart.
Mark Byrne was ordered to serve at least 12 years in prison following the slaying of his younger brother Paul, 47, before he can seek to apply for release on parole. The brothers had earlier watched a Celtic v Rangers match at the home of Mark Byrne in Glasgow’s Glenalmond Street before the fatal attack.
A judge told the killer at the High Court in Edinburgh that it was a “tragic” case involving the taking of the life of one brother by another brother. Lord Cubie said the older brother had “inexplicably” armed himself with a knife before stabbing his younger brother in the neck and chest.
He told Byrne: “You left immediately despite the fact that Paul was lying in a pool of blood.” The judge said: “The sentence for the crime of murder is fixed by law and is one of imprisonment for life.”
Byrne was earlier found guilty of murdering his brother on May 1 in 2022 by striking him on the body with a knife following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. He had previously pled guilty to the lesser offence of killing him in a culpable homicide but the Crown refused to accept his plea.
Byrne told jurors at his trial that he was annoyed at Paul for shouting down the phone at their mother, but denied wanting to harm his brother. The violence flared after the brothers, the killer’s then partner and a friend had watched the Old Firm derby draw on TV at the older brother’s home.
Byrne had taken his younger brother’s phone from him and the pair ended up in the kitchen as Paul demanded his mobile back, but the confrontation turned physical. After the attack Byrne went to the home of another brother before he was arrested following the fatal stabbing.
Defence counsel Thomas Ross KC said the crime before the judge was Byrne’s first offence. He said that Byrne, who was one of seven siblings, had not only abstained from offending but had made a positive contribution to society in the past.
“He knows his actions over those seconds have deprived his mother of a son and his siblings of a brother,” said the defence counsel, adding: “In every sense it is a tragic situation. It is a moment of madness.”
Mr Ross said: “He finds it extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact he was responsible for the death of his brother. He will never be the same person. He will continue to gear the weight of responsibility for what he did that day.” The defence counsel said: “He is a good man, a hard working man, who did something extremely dangerous once and will regret the consequences of that for the rest of his natural life.”
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