TWO men were jailed for a total of 24 years for stabbing a friend to death in Port Glasgow.

Vernon McIntyre (37) and Darryn Canning (33) were found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow of killing James Thompson in his home in Maxwell Street on 18 October last year.

Mr Thompson (33), pictured, was stabbed in the leg after a row and left to die. Both men blamed each other for the killing, but a jury convicted McIntyre, of Oronsay Avenue, and Canning, of Robert Street, both Port Glasgow, of killing Mr Thompson.

They were both charged with murdering Mr Thompson, but the jury found them guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide. The court heard that Mr Thompson died from massive blood loss caused by his femoral artery being severed.

A 999 call was made by Canning saying: “My friend has just been stabbed. There is blood coming out of his mouth and all that.”
But police and an ambulance crew were sent to the wrong address by Canning and it was three days later that police found Mr Thompson’s body.

Jailing the men for 12 years each judge Lord McEwan told them: “Both of you have been convicted of a truly terrible killing of a young man who apparently was your friend.

“He was attacked and assaulted and it would seem left for dead on the bathroom floor. It is really terrible to have to deal with this. Neither of you is of good character and I can't distinguish between you; you will each be imprisoned for 12 years for this crime.”