Man jailed for killing best friend

A killer who stabbed his best friend to death in a knife attack has been jailed for 10 years.

Darren Riley inflicted 21 wounds on Robert Reid in the fatal assault at the victim's home in Arnage Place, in Aberdeen, on October 26 in 2016.

Riley, 29, was originally charged with murdering the victim but was found guilty of the lesser offence of culpable homicide following an earlier trial.

A judge told Riley at the High Court in Edinburgh that relatives of the deceased had been left "devastated" by their loss.

Lord Kinclaven said: "It goes without saying that your voluntary intoxication may help to explain the background to these tragic events but that is not an excuse."

The judge pointed out that a jury at Riley's trial had rejected his special defence of self defence following the fatality.

He told Riley, formerly of Don Place, Woodside, Aberdeen: "There is no alternative to a significant custodial sentence."

Lord Kinclaven said he took into account Riley's age and added: "You have not caused significant harm in the past and have not previously received a custodial sentence."

The judge said the deceased had been his "best friend for many years" and he had noted Riley's remorse and upset following the offence.

Riley, also known as Barnes, was found guilty of repeatedly striking Mr Reid (26) on the head and body with a knife and killing him.

Defence counsel Ian Duguid QC said the victim had been Riley's best friend for "best part of 14 years since they were at school together".

He said they had been drinking and taking valium and were enjoying each other's company until violence broke out.

Riley told his trial that they had a fight after Mr Reid "wasn't happy with something I said".

He claimed that Mr Reid punched him and cut him with a knife and he went into "fight or flight" mode and maintained: "I was fighting for my life".

"I'm not saying I never did anything. I'm fully aware that I did it. I blanked out," he said.

Mr Duguid said there was really no premeditation to Riley's offence. "Two minutes before all this happened there was nothing between them and this all arose almost in the blink of an eye," he said.

The defence counsel said Riley "bitterly regrets" what had happened. he added that following his release on bail ahead of his trial Riley had led a "trouble free, fairly reclusive lifestyle".

"As far as he is concerned an incident like this will never happen again," he told the court.

Mr Duguid said that he fully accepted that the relatives of the victim of the fatal attack had suffered and will continue to suffer "a huge loss".