Glasgow teenager jailed for murder of 14 year old schoolboy
Daniel Haig has been sentenced to a minimum of 16 years
Last updated 16th Aug 2023
A Glasgow teenager who stabbed a 14 year old schoolboy and left him dying on a railway platform has been jailed for a minimum of 16 years.
Daniel Haig murdered Justin McLaughlin two years ago at Glasgow High Street Station by a single stab which hit the boy’s heart.
At the High Court in Edinburgh today, Haig, now 18, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Head of homicide and major crime for COPFS, Prosecutor Moira Orr, said the carrying of knives is blighting communities and destroying young lives.
"Calamitous and irreparable harm"
She added: “This case is tragic evidence of the destruction wreaked when young people carry bladed weapons.
“Daniel Haig armed himself with a knife.
“Just 16 himself at the time, he was carrying it in his rucksack as he walked in Glasgow city centre.
“And because he had that knife, Justin McLaughlin lost his life two days after his 14th birthday. His family, his friends and a wider community have been left utterly bereft.
“Our thoughts are with them now as they struggle with the enormity of their loss.”
"We must hope this sends a message"
During trial at the High Court in Glasgow in June, prosecutors were able to play CCTV which recorded the entirety of an altercation between Haig and his victim.
On 16 October 2021, Justin McLaughlin and a group of friends had arrived at Glasgow's High Street station to catch a train, when they encountered Haig, who stabbed the schoolboy after chasing him along the platform.
At an earlier hearing, Haig pled guilty to a previous assault and to previously carrying a concealed knife.
The prosecutor continued: “at the age of 18, Haig now faces a future spent in jail as a result of his actions.
“We must hope this sends a message to children and teenagers who may be tempted to carry knives.
"They risk causing calamitous and irreparable harm to others and to themselves.”
