‘Brutal’ attack that ended a young life

Jack Mallon (47) was given a life sentence for the murder of 20-year-old Jordan MacKay after plunging a knife into the victim’s neck leaving his girlfriend screaming for help.

Mallon’s ex-girlfriend, Charlene Wilson (37) who had summoned him to South Queensferry was jailed for nine years for her part in Mr MacKay’s death.

She had stood trial for the murder of the joiner with her co-accused Mallon but was convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

Mr MacKay had been on a night out with his girlfriend, Nicole McKay (21).

A judge told Wilson at the High Court in Edinburgh that her behaviour was “the trigger” for the attack after she had acted in a drunken and aggressive manner.

Johanna Johnston QC said: ‘‘You phoned Jack Mallon and summoned him to carry out serious violence and serious injury and that is what happened.”

The judge said that Mr MacKay had “no chance” to defend himself from the knife attack.

She told the murderer: “This was a brutal and 
horrific attack.”

Miss McKay said she saw Mallon come out of a car and later saw him “with the knife in the air and Jordan holding his neck”.

Miss McKay said her boyfriend was losing a lot of blood and could not speak in the wake of the attack.

She said: “I thought Jordan was dying.”

Mallon, who was previously jailed for drug crime, and Wilson had both denied murdering joiner Mr MacKay, of Kirkliston, in the attack in the early hours of July 13 at The Loan, South Queensferry .

Mallon had lodged a special defence claiming he was acting in defence of himself and his co-accused.

The jury’s decision to convict Mallon of the murder was greeted with cries of “yes” from the public benches in court.

After the attack Mallon said: “I am in big s--t. I have stabbed somebody. I think I am going down for it.”

He was also heard to say: “I have stabbed someone in the neck and killed him.”

Mr MacKay and his girlfriend had been socialising in the town where Wilson was also drinking. Mallon later arrived in South Queensferry by car after Wilson contacted him.

Wilson (37) from Kirkliston, had been at the Stag’s Head in South Queensferry and had shouted at Mr MacKay’s girlfriend who “laughed it off” the court heard.

One witness said that as they were leaving the pub Wilson tried to slap Mr MacKay.

Outside the bar Wilson clashed with others. She was captured on camera declaring: “I am an angry female.”

Footage of the incident outside the pub was caught on CCTV and mobile phones.

Wilson was asked how she felt about her antics and said: “It’s just not something I am proud of.”

She said: “I was really drunk that night and I can’t really remember anything about it.”

Prosecutor Iain McSporran said: “If it had not been for you Jordan MacKay would still be alive, wouldn’t he?”

Wilson said: “I made a phone call but not for that to happen. I never got him to come down to do that.”

Mr MacKay’s mother, Elizabeth, told the court her son had been “a handsome, strapping, strong boy”. Speaking about the effect of Jordan’s death on the family, she said: “When Jordan died, we died.”