Teen murdered over Buckfast row

Bannerman will have to serve at least 11-years in prison

A teenager who murdered a 15-year-old boy during a row over a bottle of Buckfast has been jailed for a minimum of 11 years.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Ben Bannerman, 16, was ordered to be detained without limit of time for the murder of 15-year-old Easton Nicol.

The court heard that both teenagers were members of groups who had been drinking in Kilmarnock.

Bannerman stabbed the youth with a 10 inch kitchen knife during an argument.

The court heard how Bannerman had handed his Buckfast bottle to Easton who refused to hand it back.

He then stabbed him with the knife which he had been given by another youth earlier.

This case sadly typifies what happens when there is a combination of young men, drink and knives Judge Lord Matthews

The attack was captured on CCTV footage which showed Bannerman making stabbing motions.

The 15-year-old bled to death in minutes as his friends looked on.

Later Bannerman bragged in the local bus station saying: "I got that wee boy."

Judge Lord Matthews said: "This case sadly typifies what happens when there is a combination of young men, drink and knives, or in this case one knife."

He added that the knife had been used to "devastating effect."

Lord Matthews referred to the fact that Bannerman had a bottle of Buckfast which he handed to Easton.

Found guilty

He added: "He was under the influence of alcohol and quite how and why he got into that state at his age is beyond me.

Sentencing Bannerman, he said: "You are still young and still have your life ahead of you. Easton Nicol's family and friends will have to cope with his loss for the rest of theirs and in many ways any sentence I can impose will be inadequate."

Bannerman, from Kilmarnock, was found guilty of murdering the youth, who lived at Mosside Place, Kilmarnock, by stabbing him near to Dean Lane in the town on 8 December last year.

Samuel Baird, 48, the dead boy's dad, described his son, who was a top goalscorer with a youth team in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, as a "lively wee boy".

The drink Buckfast has attracted controversy over the years. Last year, former justice minister Cathy Jamieson called for the tonic wine to be removed from shops claiming it contributed to anti-social behaviour.

J Chandler, the drink's distributors, said the company did not advertise to young people and claimed it made no sense to blame Buckfast for the "ned culture" in Scotland.