Man who stabbed friend and 'left him to his fate' jailed

A man who killed his friend by stabbing him in the chest has been jailed for 12 years.

Derek Docherty, 37, left Sean Dock, 35, bleeding in the communal close of the block in Campbell Street, Renfrew in May 2023.

The 37-year-old then cleaned the knife used in the incident and attempted to stop police getting into the property in the aftermath.

Docherty denied murder and was found guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow earlier this year.

Judge Lord Mulholland said Docherty had left Mr Dock "to his fate" after the attack.

Sentencing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, the judge said: "You do not stab your friend on the chest with a knife."

During the trial, the court heard how Mr Dock had stumbled into the close to try and attract the attention of neighbours after being stabbed.

He later collapsed in the close and bled to death despite the best efforts of emergency responders.

The trial heard Docherty "cleaned the knife" used in the incident and refused to let police enter the flat to "buy himself more time".

Lord Mulholland noted Docherty had an "alarming" criminal record including two previous High Court convictions for aggravated assault and weapons and drug trafficking charges.

At the time of the attack, he was awaiting sentence for having a mobile phone in prison.

Prosecutor Scott McKenzie said Mr Dock's mother had "felt hollow" since her son had died.

Sentencing had been deferred so that background reports could be obtained.

Lord Mulholland also placed Docherty under a two-year supervision order upon his release from prison.