Youth, 17, killed footballer Luke, 16, with a knife
Teen guilty of culpable homicide after fatal confrontation
A 17-YEAR-OLD youth was convicted yesterday of killing a promising young footballer.
The teenager, who can’t be named for legal reasons, stabbed 16-year-old Luke Wallace in the groin during a confrontation in Ballieston, Glasgow.
Luke, a Partick Thistle fan who played for Drumchapel Amateur Football Club, suffered massive blood loss after the knife cut a major artery. He died in hospital eight days later.
Angela Wallace, 49, of Garrowhill, told the High Court in Glasgow she texted her son an hour before the stabbing, asking where he was and telling him: “Be safe.”
The jury heard Luke and a friend, Josh McFall, 18, confronted the 17-year-old on June 17 last year as he walked along the street holding hands with a teenage girl.
McFall had a piece of wood and Luke had a lump of concrete, which he threw at the accused.
The teenager reacted by chasing after Luke and stabbing him once.
In evidence, the youth admitted knifing the young footballer but claimed he was acting in self-defence.
He said he was terrified and “poked” Luke with the knife, which he claimed he found lying on a traffic island, in a bid to get away.
But, the jury did not believe him and convicted him of culpable homicide.
He was also convicted of having a lockback knife in his possession and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by washing clothing he was wearing when he killed Luke.
Judge Lord Woolman deferred sentence until next month. He remanded the teenager in custody.