A PETTY drug dealer who stabbed a teenager to death in Livingston as he was being held in a bear hug has been jailed for ten years for the killing.
Andrew Gibson, 23, from Ladywell in Livingston, had another three-and-a-half years added to the se
ntence for two earlier knife attacks and for dealing Temazepam.
Sentencing him at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, judge Roger Craik QC told Gibson he was "only too prone" to use weapons.
"The court has to view such offending with strong disapproval and to send out a message that such attacks will be severely dealt with," said the judge.
An earlier trial heard how would-be DJ Connor Muir, 17, had punched Gibson in the face before an onlooker stepped in to try to stop the fight.
Mr Muir had no chance to ward off Gibson's knife because he was being held so tightly. He bled to death from a single wound. Gibson had also tried to hit Mr Muir on the head with a hammer.
A jury rejected Gibson's claim that he was acting in self-defence but cleared him of murder – substituting a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Speaking after the sentence, the area's councillor West Lothian Council leader Peter Johnston said the community was still coming to terms with the killing.
He said: "This sentence brings little solace to those who knew and cared for Connor.
"I know many in our community are still finding it difficult to come to terms with what happened but I am encouraged that, overwhelmingly, Ladywell people young and old alike are determined that nothing like this must ever be allowed to happen again.
"The carrying of weapons, including knives, is not acceptable to us and cannot and will not be tolerated.
"I know that Ladywell is a strong community and that together we are coming through this very difficult time.
"The Ladywell community is absolutely united in this conviction and working together we must be unwavering in our efforts to ensure that this message is driven home, and that all in our community are safe to go about their daily lives without fear or apprehension.
"The vast majority of our young people are well mannered, well behaved and well brought up. Connor Muir was one of them and he is sorely missed, but will not be forgotten.
"In the weeks and months ahead it will be the responsibility of all of us to make sure that we do learn from this tragedy. This is the very least we all owe Connor."
Advocate depute Morag Jack, prosecuting, described Gibson as "a violent bully."
The trial heard how Gibson got a phone call on 6 March challenging him to a fight. He met Dario Fleming, 17, at a footpath near Rushbank in Ladywell.
Although Gibson left his home at Sedgebank, armed with a hammer and a knife, no weapons were used.
After fighting Mr Fleming, Gibson then turned his attention to a drug deal he was trying to conclude but the business was interrupted when Mr Muir, of Cloverbank, rushed up and punched Gibson in the face.
The trial also heard allegations of an attempt to cover up after the stabbing by getting rid of the knife and washing Gibson's blood-soaked clothes.
Both Gibson and his dad, David Gibson, 45, were cleared when the jury found a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice not proven.
Solicitor advocate Stuart Carson, defending, said: "Mr Gibson's conduct was appalling and he bitterly regrets it. He expressed sorrow for what he had done on the night and he has regretted his actions since."
Judge Craik told Gibson: "No doubt there was considerable provocation in the victim punching you on the face and injuring your nose.
"But your attack happened while the victim was being held and any immediate danger was over. Your attack involved the use of a weapon, a use to which you are only too prone."
