Teen murdered after assault claim

A TEENAGER was murdered after claims he had assaulted a girl, a court heard.

Sean Banks, 18, was stabbed through the heart after being attacked in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, last September.

Mr Banks was killed following an allegation by 16-year-old Chloe Brennan that he had earlier hit her.

Paul Kane, 25, was convicted of the teenager’s murder following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Liam Donnelly, 19, was convicted of the lesser allegation of culpable homicide on an art and part basis.

Kane sparked angry scenes in the courtroom as he was led handcuffed to the cells. He taunted the victim’s friends and family by sticking up his middle finger and poking out his tongue.

The jury heard how Miss Brennan had called Donnelly asking him to “batter” Mr Banks.

She also went on to speak to Kane during another phone call.

In evidence, the witness recalled: “Paul asked if Sean had any weapons on him. I said someone earlier mentioned he had a knife – Paul said: ‘I have a bigger one’.”

Miss Brennan thought the thug was only joking.

However, Kane later called back and told her: “That’s it done.”

The trial heard Mr Banks was stabbed four times after being confronted last September 12.

But Kane insisted he did not strike the teenager deliberately, adding: “I can’t remember stabbing him. I didn’t mean for him to die. He kept coming at me.”

Prosecutor Iain McSporran branded the killing “a brutal, unprovoked multiple stabbing”.

The court was told Kane had a long history of violence dating back to his teens.

Both he and Donnelly were also separately convicted of assaulting another boy.

Judge Lord Armstrong deferred sentencing until September 20 in Edinburgh.