'Good citizen' was killed after he found a handbag and was mistaken for thief

A "good citizen" who found a handbag was killed amid claims he had instead stolen it. Frederick McGettigan did his “civic duty” by giving the item to police when he discovered it beside a canal in July last year.

But, thug Kirk McIntyre later turned up at the 51 year-old's flat in Auchinairn, Glasgow.

The 50-year old dad of 5, wrongly believed innocent Mr McGettigan took the bag from the house of someone he knew.

Burly McIntyre went after his frail victim - before slitting his throat with a knife.

McIntyre denied murder during a trial a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

But, jurors heard how he had once confessed that he had done “something bad”.

He has now been jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years after he was convicted today.

It emerged he already a long history of violence - and had recently been freed having earlier been jailed for a serious assault.

A judge told McIntyre, of Perth, that the killing was “barbaric and cruel”.

The trial heard how Mr McGettigan - known as Ricky - had found the bag at the Forth and Clyde canal in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire.

The discovery came during an early-hours walk. He often went out at that time as he suffered from the ear condition tinnitus.

Mr McGettigan then handed the bag into the local police station.

Days later - on August 6 - raging McIntyre suddenly appeared at his door.

The victim was then brutally attacked with a blade and left for dead.

A friend of Mr McGettigan later became concerned when he could not contact him.

William Elliot eventually went to his flat on August 9 - and made the grim discovery of Mr McGettigan's body.

He recalled: “I got no answer then opened the letterbox and shouted through.

“I realised then the door was unlocked. There was blood on the hall carpet.

“I looked in the kitchen and saw Ricky lying on his back. His face and hair was covered in blood. I took my phone out and dialled 999.”

The trial heard McIntyre later met a social worker and admitted he done “something bad” and that it was “high court level”.

In his speech to jurors, prosecutor Iain McSporran QC said: “He was not just confessing to a crime - he was confessing to this crime.”

He added Mr McGettigan died “as a result of doing his civic duty” by going to police with the bag.

After the verdict, the court was told McIntyre had 16 previous assault convictions.

This included him being jailed for 30 months in 2016.

Lord Mulholland told McIntyre: “He was a man who had done you no harm.

“You sought him out believing he was responsible. He was not responsible and had merely handed in the bag as any good citizen would do.

“What you did was barbaric and cruel. You slit his neck and left him to his fate.''