Woman who said double stabbing was accident guilty of murder

A woman who stabbed a man to death - but claimed she didn't mean to kill him - has been convicted of murder.

Stephanie Bowie knifed 21-year-old Darren Russell twice in the chest outside a restaurant in Erskine, Renfrewshire, on New Year's Day 2021.

She denied murder, saying she "accidentally" stabbed the victim when she had brought out the knife to scare him.

Jurors found her guilty after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The trial heard that Bowie, 29, had stormed to the scene after her brother Mark had been in a minor row with Mr Russell.

The two men - and others - had earlier been in the grounds of Barsail Primary School nearby where they got into an argument.

'Tried to calm down'

Stephanie Bowie then took a taxi from Paisley to Erskine after learning of the row, having grabbed a knife before getting into the cab.

She turned up at the school and immediately threatened to kill Mr Russell.

Describing what happened, the victim's best friend Craig Smith said they all eventually ended up a path near Grill in the Park Bar and Restaurant in Erskine.

Mr Smith, 23, said: "I did not know why she was going for my friend.

"I was trying to get Mark to calm down his sister. Me and Mark had a kind of discussion...as I turned, he (Mr Russell) just fell to the deck and she has come skipping past, all happy."

As the Bowies ran off, Mr Smith helped his dying friend back to the home he shared with his parents nearby, but he never recovered.

Stephanie Bowie gave evidence and admitted she had killed Mr Russell, but had not meant it, despite the blows being deep into the victim's body.

She claimed while Mr Russell was standing over her, she "panicked" and brought out the knife hidden up her sleeve.

But, prosecutor Lorraine Glancy put to her: "The truth is, by the time you got to the Grill in the Park, you were raging at Darren Russell for the best part of an hour?"

Bowie: "Yes."

Ms Glancy: "You turned (after the stabbing) and shouted 'yes'. You then ran back up the road that you had chased him from."

She replied: "No."

Bowie said she ditched the knife and her blood-stained jacket. She also altered her hairstyle to try and avoid being caught.

'Deplorable act'

After the verdict, the court was told Bowie had a number of previous convictions including for threatening behaviour and breaching bail.

She showed no emotion on being convicted of murder.

Judge Lord Weir said she had she had committed a "deplorable act of lethal violence" and deferred sentencing until July.

The senior investigating officer in the case said the family of Mr Russell had been left "absolutely devastated".

Ch Insp Christopher Nisbet thanked members of the local community who came forward with vital pieces of information.

He said: "We hope that this conviction brings at least a degree of closure for his relatives and friends.

"Violence and the carrying of weapons is completely unacceptable.

"We know it has a devastating and significant impact on individuals, families and communities.

"We will continue to work closely with partners and remain determined to bring perpetrators to justice."