A man has been jailed after he stabbed his friend, then left him to die just six minutes from an accident and emergency unit.
Ben McCulloch is beginning a nine and half year prison sentence today after attacked Stephen Quigley at his home in Barrhead, then drove him to Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital where he abandoned him outside a closed building to avoid detection.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard the pair had been socialising with each other in the moments leading up to the fatal assault.
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McCulloch struck his Mr Quigley, from Neilston, on the side of the head with a blade.
The 28-year-old - a disqualified driver - then drove Mr Quigley to a “secluded” part of the hospital grounds, where he tried to walk to get help, but was found dead outside a day ward the following morning.
When police apprehended McCulloch, he claimed he dropped his pal the distance from A&E as he didn’t want to give details of how he came by his injuries.
The High Court in Glasgow earlier heard the 26-year-old would have survived if he received immediate medical treatment.
Mr Quigley's family wept in court today as Lord Mullholland told the killer he'd given them a "life sentence".
He said: “Having inflicted an injury on him, you transported him to hospital and abandoned him.
“You did not wait to see if he was alright and if he was in the care of medical staff. Instead you left him in hospital grounds where he bled to death.
“You didn’t ensure he was alright. Your first thought was for yourself. You got on with your life and you did not care for the welfare of your friend.
“You have have left his family serving a life sentence.
“The use of knives in assaults are a curse in this country.”
At the earlier hearing, the court heard the two friends were drinking in McCulloch's flat on the day of the incident.
The pair were in good spirits uploading video clips to social media.
Prosecutor Angela Gray said: "Later that afternoon, McCulloch and Mr Quigley became involved in an altercation.
"During this, McCulloch took control of the knife and struck Mr Quigley inflicting a blow to his head, causing the long-incised wound on the right side of his head."
McCulloch dropped the bleeding victim near a closed mental health ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital a 5.25pm. A legal document stating the charge against McCulloch described the location as being “secluded”.
Ms Gray added: "The A&E is around a six-minute walk from where Mr Quigley was dropped off by McCulloch."
Mr Quigley who was "unsteady on his feet" with a head injury was spotted on CCTV walking for help. He was found dead by nursing staff the next morning at 7am outside the ward.
It was established that the injury was caused by a weapon with a sharp edge and moderate force was used.
Ms Gray added: "The injury to his head would have been survivable if prompt medical attention had been secured."
McCulloch was later traced to an AirBnB property in Newcastle on April 8, 2021 and he was arrested.
On Tuesday, defence advocate Ian Duguid KC, told Lord Mulholland that McCulloch was remorseful for his actions.
Mr Duguid added: “I’d like to highlight the extent of Mr McCulloch’s remorse. He has a mortgage - he is a homeowner and he has a trade. He is a joiner. He is in steady employment,
“He has all the factors in his life which means he shouldn’t be appearing in this court on a charge of this nature.”
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