Man who stabbed brother in the heart found guilty of murder

Mark Byrne faces life in jail when he is sentenced next month

A man who stabbed his brother in the heart has been found guilty of murder.

Mark Byrne, 51, attacked Paul Byrne, 47, at the older brother's family home in the Sandyhills area of Glasgow on 1 May 2022.

Byrne, who had never been convicted of any violent offences, stabbed his brother after he got into an an argument with their mother on the phone.

He was found guilty of murder at the High Court in Glasgow after an offer to plead guilty to the reduced charge of culpable homicide had been rejected.

Window cleaner Byrne said what happened was "a blur" and he denied wanting to harm his brother.

Frenzied attack

Jurors heard how Byrne had watched a Celtic and Rangers game on TV that afternoon at his house with his partner, brother and a friend.

He described the atmosphere as "good... having a laugh" and said he went upstairs to his room at one point after the game, which finished 1-1.

Byrne told the court how he heard his brother shouting and arguing with someone on the phone downstairs.

He said he learned this was their mother, who appeared to be "defending" Paul's ex-partner after they had an argument.

Byrne admitted he was "angry" at his brother for upsetting their mother and snatched the phone from his brother.

The pair ended up in the kitchen as Paul demanded his mobile back and the confrontation went from "verbal to physical".

Byrne fatally stabbed Paul in what one witness described as a "frenzied" assault.

He claimed not to know exactly where he got the knife from.

His lawyer Thomas Ross asked Byrne if he could remember where he struck Paul or how many times, but he said he could not remember.

As Paul lay bleeding on the floor, Byrne jumped into his car and headed to the home of his other brother John before he was arrested.

Byrne told jurors he "could not make any sense" of what he had done.

He told the trial he felt "devastated" and accepted what happened was a "terrible thing".

Byrne added: "I have lost family and my partner through this."

Prosecutors accused Byrne of "trying to make up a story" to avoid being convicted of murder.

Advocate depute David McLean asked Byrne if he intended to cause Paul harm, which he denied.

He added: "We were just arguing. He was my brother."

Lord Cubie adjourned the case until 10 December in Edinburgh where Byrne will learn his minimum jail time.

The judge told him: "That day was a tragic day for the Byrne family.

"The loss was exacerbated as the person who took Paul Byrne's life was you, his brother.

"It was within your control to control these consequences."

Byrne was remanded in custody and faces a life sentence when he returns to court next month.