Man guilty of murdering father-of-three in Paisley attack

A man is facing a life sentence after being convicted of stabbing a father-of-three to death in an "appalling murder" in Paisley.

James Wright, 25, left Craig McClelland bleeding to death on the town's Tweed Avenue last July after stabbing him through the heart.

The 31-year-old had been on his way to see a friend to play X-Box.

Wright's co-accused Stuart McLellan, 28, was cleared after the jury returned a not proven verdict against him.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that Wright stabbed Craig twice, seconds after asking him for a light.

Judge Lord Matthews told Wright: "The jury has convicted you of a most appalling murder on a decent family man going about his business. For no reason whatsoever, you deprived a family of his company."

The court heard that Craig left his Foxbar home at 23:15 after spending the night chatting with his partner about a forthcoming holiday and watching television.

Minutes later he was fatally stabbed through the heart.

Family man Craig called for an ambulance himself at 23.20 and as paramedics tended him he told them the names of his partner and children and said: "Don't let me die."

Wright and his co-accused had been thrown out of a party in Foxbar that night. They split up and Wright attacked Craig.

Wright did not give evidence, but co-accused McLellan went into the witness box and blamed his co-accused for the brutal killing.

Prosecutor Paul Brown said: "Mr Wright has 16 previous convictions, including two for possession of knives."

Lord Matthews told Wright, who is also known as Jamie McNamara, that he was facing a life sentence.

Sentence was deferred until June 4 at the High Court in Livingston.