TWO MEN CONVICTED OF MURDER AFTER STABBING IN NORTH AYRSHIRE

Marshall Strachan and Kieran Lindsay, both aged 21, have been convicted of murdering John Taylor, aged 44, after stabbing him on his doorstep in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, on 18 October 2024. The High Court in Glasgow heard that Strachan stabbed Taylor to the abdomen during an attack that lasted approximately one minute and 56 seconds, during which the men were out of CCTV camera shot. Judge Lord Arthurson stated that the two had committed "the gravest crime in our law" and would receive life sentences when sentencing takes place next month. Police described the attack as "a brutal, pre-meditated and targeted murder" that occurred amid an apparent dispute between Lindsay and Taylor.

A third man, Kiey O'Connor, aged 29, drove Strachan and Lindsay to Taylor's home on Pollock Crescent but was unaware of what would occur. The court was told that Taylor answered his door after the men arrived and went down the first step, with a neighbour, Fiona Houston, witnessing the assault. Prosecutor Erin Campbell told jurors that Strachan ran away down a lane whilst Lindsay walked back to the vehicle with his hands in his pockets. The men later walked to a grass area and burned potential evidence, which the prosecution presented as evidence of premeditation rather than panic.

O'Connor became aware of the stabbing through his brother and subsequently sold the Volkswagen Polo car used in the incident for £40 to a friend. The vehicle was later advertised on Facebook Marketplace. Call records revealed that O'Connor had searched opening times for Saltcoats police office. The prosecution maintained that O'Connor was unaware of the planned attack.