Man admits new father's killing

The court heard there had been a scuffle before Mr Connor was stabbed.

A new father died after he was stabbed while on a night out celebrating his daughter's birth, the High Court in Edinburgh has heard.

Mark Connor, 27, of Inverness, was drinking in the city but ended up at a party where he got into an argument.

James Mackenzie, 23, was originally charged with murdering Mr Connor at a flat in Abbey Court on 14 June.

But the Crown accepted his guilty plea to a reduced charge of culpable homicide. He will be sentenced later.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Mackenzie, of Inverness, admitted killing his victim by repeatedly striking him with a knife on the body.

Precisely how and why the fatal blows came to be struck may never be known, as the key witnesses are extremely unreliable Advocate depute Iain McSporran

Mr Connor, who worked as an overhead linesman, had travelled from his place of work in Bristol to Inverness to see his girlfriend and their new daughter.

He was out drinking in Inverness before later phoning a friend who was at the party where the attack occurred.

Advocate depute Iain McSporran, prosecuting. said: "Precisely how and why the fatal blows came to be struck may never be known, as the key witnesses are extremely unreliable."

He said the main witness on whom the Crown relied was too drunk to be interviewed for some hours afterwards.

The prosecutor said it appeared Mr Connor was being loud and sarcastic. Later there was a scuffle and Mr Connor challenged Mackenzie to fight him outside.

While a friend was trying to get Mr Connor out of the flat, Mackenzie stabbed him with a long, silver blade and pushed him out into the landing.

An ambulance was called but despite resuscitation attempts Mr Connor was pronounced dead at hospital.

The judge, Lord Hodge, deferred sentence on Mackenzie for the preparation of a background report and risk assessment.