Paul McManus Convicted of Crookston Murder

Paul McManus is facing detention for life after being convicted of the frenzied knife attack on a couple in their own home. He murdered Isabelle Sanders, 51, and left her 86-year-old partner fighting for his life after barging his his way into the couple's home because he wanted to steal one of their cars parked in the driveway and needed the keys. Today at the High Court in Glasgow judge Lord Armstrong told McManus, 20, of Nitshill, Glasgow: "This was a violent and vindictive murder of a woman in her own home and what was a cowardly attack on an 85-year-old man who spent his life serving the community." At the time of the horrific attack Mr Busby was 85. Lord Armstrong added: "The only sentence which can be imposed is life imprisonment." The judge will determine the minimum period McManus should spend behind bars in January at the High Court at Livingston. He has deferred sentence until then for background reports on McManus because of his age. When the jurors, who deliberated for just over an hour, returned their verdict McManus, who was guarded in the dock by three G4S officers, showed no emotion. Advocate depute Bruce Erroch, prosecuting, told the court that he had a number of previous convictions for violence including offences involving knives. While giving evidence during his trial McManus admitted a knife attack on a Chinese man on April 2, and an attempted carjacking and theft from an off-sales on April 8 and Lord Armstrong ordered the jury to convict him of these offences. He was also convicted by the jury of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by trying to conceal evidence. In connection with the murder. The court heard that McManus forced his way into the home at 77 Raeswood Drive, Crookston, Glasgow, at around 1.50am on April 9 and demanded the keys to their cars in the driveway. But, before 86-year-old retired police sergeant Norman Busby could even react brutal McManus stabbed him three times in the chest puncturing both lungs. When his partner of 30 years Isabelle Sanders, who was upstairs in bed, heard the commotion and ran down the stairs into their open plan living room to help Mr Busby she was horrifically stabbed 37 times by McManus who had a knife in each hand. As she lay dead or dying in her living room McManus forced badly injured Mr Busby upstairs with him to search for car keys. When he got a set of keys McManus left the house taking £300 in cash, a decanter filled with whisky and a laptop. He couldn't start the car and fled. Forensic experts who examined the clothes he wore that night found Miss Sanders' blood on them. The trainers he wore were never recovered McManus threw them away in a bin in Glasgow city centre after buying a new pair with cash he had stolen from Mr Busby.