Hawick neighbour dispute ended in murder

Christopher McColm was described by his family as a "quiet, caring man"

A neighbour dispute in Hawick during last year's Easter weekend escalated into the murder of a man in his own home.

Christopher McColm was attacked in his Beattie Court property on Good Friday.

He died of his injuries at the Western General in Edinburgh later that weekend.

Russian nationals Aleksandr Podgornoi, 25, and Vladimir Jakovlev, 24 - who lived next to Mr McColm - were charged with his murder.

Mr McColm's family released a short statement following his death.

It said: "We are all totally devastated by the death of Chris, who was loved by all of us.

"He was a quiet, caring man who had a lot to live for, and we will miss him dearly."

The two men accused of the killing were put on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in November 2010.

They denied Mr McColm's murder, claiming they had acted in self-defence.

The trial was told that prior to his death, social workers had been trying to move 45-year-old Christopher McColm to a new home.

Tenancy support worker Ian McHutchison said Mr McColm was "quite pleased" at the prospect of moving out.

"He said he would have been happy to stay there but he couldn't put up with the noise," he said.

That was a claim backed by his sister, Carol Walker, who added that he had also spoken about feeling scared.

A neighbour in Beattie Court, Scott Carter, later told the court about the night in which the attack took place.

He described hearing Mr McColm arguing with the two eastern Europeans about noise.

"Chris was saying, 'get out of my house, go away, leave me alone'", he said.

Mr Carter later spotted two men leaving the flat.

"One of them was drinking from a bottle of vodka and they were laughing and joking in their own language," he said.

"They seemed very pleased with themselves, like they didn't have a care in the world."

'Callous individuals'

Police who were called to the scene found Mr McColm lying on his back in his home.

Pc Suzanne Kay said: "His face was covered in blood, his right eye was very badly swollen and his teeth and mouth were covered in blood.

"He said: 'Help me, help me, I'm struggling'."

Both Podgornoi and Jakovlev denied beating Mr McColm to death, claiming self-defence.

However, little more than two weeks after their trial began, they were found guilty of the killing.

Det Insp Jim Robertson of Lothian and Borders Police, described them as "callous individuals" who carried out a "sustained and extremely violent attack on a frail individual who had little chance of defending himself".

Now they have both been sentenced for their actions.