Man jailed for killing friend he left abandoned outside Paisley hospital
- Published
Ben McCulloch left his friend six minutes away from A&E after stabbing him
A man who abandoned his friend to die outside a hospital from a knife wound which could have been treated has been jailed for nine-and-a-half years.
Ben McCulloch stabbed Stephen Quigley, 26, at his home in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, on 23 March 2021.
He left his friend outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. Mr Quigley tried to walk to A&E for help but was found dead the next morning.
The 28-year-old admitted killing Mr Quigley at a hearing in September.
He was initially charged with murder, but pled guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how McCulloch and Mr Quigley had been socialising with each other in the moments leading up to the fatal assault.
McCulloch struck his victim, who lived in Neilston, East Renfrewshire, on the side of the head with a blade.
The attacker - a disqualified driver - then drove Mr Quigley to a closed section of Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital and left him in a "secluded" part of the grounds that was six minutes away from A&E.
When police apprehended McCulloch, he said he had dropped his friend a distance from A&E as he did not want to give details of how Mr Quigley came by his injuries.
The body of Stephen Quigley was found in the grounds of the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Passing sentence, Lord Mulholland told McCulloch that he had left relatives of Mr Quigley serving "a life sentence".
Lord Mulholland said: "Having inflicted an injury on him, you transported him to hospital and abandoned him.
"You did not wait to see if he was alright and if he was in the care of medical staff. Instead, you left him in hospital grounds where he bled to death.
"You didn't ensure he was alright. Your first thought was for yourself. You got on with your life and you did not care for the welfare of your friend."
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- Published16 June 2021
