Teenager guilty of murdering boy at Glasgow railway station

Justin was killed two days after his 14th birthday

An 18-year-old has been found guilty of murder after stabbing a schoolboy at a Glasgow railway station.

Justin McLaughlin, 14, died in October 2021 after being stabbed in the heart by Daniel Haig, who was 16 at the time, at High Street Station.

He was taken to hospital after the attack but never recovered.

Prosecutors and his legal team agreed that Haig delivered the blow which caused Justin's death, but he had denied murder.

After two days of deliberations at the High Court in Glasgow, a jury found him guilty.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a person with a garden fork and possession of a knife in a public place,

Haig has been remanded in custody after being found guilty of murder

The killer is said to have become involved in a scuffle with Justin and a group of his friends at the railway station on 16 October 2021 when he pulled a knife out of his bag.

CCTV captured him chasing the group, with Justin tripping and falling before Haig caught up and stabbed him.

Haig told the jury he fled the railway station before disposing of the knife in a bin.

• Murder accused says sorry to stabbed boy's family

• Boy begged for mum after being stabbed, court told

• Teenager admits killing schoolboy but denies murder

During questioning from defence KC John Scullion, Haig said he had a knife in his rucksack for "protection" after claiming to have been attacked the day before.

He told the court he "tried to aim for the lower abdomen" of the schoolboy, thinking it would cause a "minor injury."

Mr Scullion asked Haig: "How do you feel that you killed Justin McLaughlin? His family are in the courtroom."

Haig replied: "I feel really bad about it. I would like to apologise to them. It was never my intention to kill anyone."

The court previously heard the schoolboy begged for his mother after being attacked.

Justin's family described him as their "blue-eyed boy"

A post-mortem examination concluded that Justin, from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, died as a result of a "stab wound to the heart".

Justin's family paid tribute to their "blue-eyed boy" who was "tragically taken just two days after his 14th birthday".

In a statement, his parents said: "Justin had his full life ahead of him, our lives will never be the same.

"He was the character of the family, his younger brothers miss him so much. He was their best friend as well as their brother.

"He'll be forever our big handsome boy with a smile that lit up the room."

Sentence was deferred and Haig was remanded in custody.