By Dave Finlay
A killer is facing a life sentence after brutally murdering a man before stating: “I’ve went too far. I’ve messed up. I’m covered in blood.”
William McLean stabbed Ryan Low 13 times in a fatal knife attack at his victim’s home in Springbank Road, Paisley, on June 25, 2020.
McLean, who has a criminal record that includes assault and robbery, had been released from an 18-month sentence of detention a fortnight before he struck.
McLean was a teenager at the time, but appeared as a 21-year-old at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier today to admit murdering his victim by repeatedly stabbing him on the head and body.
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The court heard that Mr Low, 32, had arranged to visit his sister in Edinburgh.
However, he failed to show up and, after she raised concerns, police broke into the Paisley flat where he lived alone and found him lying dead on the kitchen floor.
On the evening of June, 24 Mr Low was at home in the company of McLean and others drinking. One man later left and said at that time nothing untoward was going on.
Advocate depute John Keenan said: “The precise details of what happened thereafter are unknown, but it seems that in the early hours of the morning after he had left there was a disagreement between the accused and Ryan Low.”
The prosecutor said McLean had armed himself with a knife and stabbed his victim in the living room before continuing the attack in the kitchen.
“The precise form and nature of the assault on the deceased on June 25 in 2020 will probably never be known,” said Mr Keenan.
McLean, a former delivery driver, later got a bus to Glasgow and phoned a family friend to tell her that he had messed up and was covered in blood.
Mr Keenan added: “About 11am he called his mother and asked her to pick him up in Clydebank. She collected him and noted he appeared to be under the influence of drink or drugs.
“He refused to say where he had been.”
McLean was later interviewed by police as a witness and admitted he was at Mr Low’s flat, but claimed he was alive when he left.
Mr Low’s DNA was found on a blood-stained knife blade discovered down the back of a sofa at the flat.
“The findings could be explained if this blade had been used to stab Ryan Low,” said Mr Keenan.
A post mortem was carried out on Mr Low and it was found that among the injuries were four stab wounds to the neck, two of which damaged jugular veins.
The stab wounds to the neck were considered to be the main factor in his death.
Mr Low was also found to have sustained defensive wounds in an attempt to protect himself from his attacker.
McLean’s defence counsel Thomas Ross QC said: “He has pled guilty to murder in the certain knowledge that he will be sentenced to life imprisonment.”
The judge, Lord Richardson, who will have to set a minimum term McLean must serve under a life sentence said he had committed a “terrible murder”.
Sentence was deferred on him until next month for the preparation of a background report.
McLean was remanded in custody.
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