Man jailed after he killed neighbour in parking row

A MAN who killed his neighbour after a lockdown parking row has been jailed for eight years and three months.

Craig McCarroll, 29, stabbed to death Thomas Nelson, 24, last April 14 following a “ridiculously trivial” dispute.

The pair had been long-time friends and lived next door to each other with their families in Wishaw.

They had a fall-out when people going to Thomas’s home started leaving their vehicles next to McCarroll’s house.

McCarroll was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow having earlier admitted to a culpable homicide charge.

Lord Matthews told him the sentence would have been 11 years, but for the guilty plea.

In the hours before the killing, McCarroll had made “derogatory” remarks about Thomas and “repeatedly threatened violence” towards him.

Around 2am, McCarroll’s mum spotted Thomas on her path in the town’s Carron Street and she followed her son outside.

Thomas was said to have hit

McCarroll before he retaliated and both ended up on the ground.

Each of their mums yelled at them to get back inside as McCarroll was clocked on top of Thomas.

The bleeding victim was soon found “gurgling and unconscious” as McCarroll’s parents dragged the killer indoors.

Prosecutor Shanti Maguire said: “Mr Nelson’s mother made a 999 call where she is heard to be highly distressed and that she thought her son was dying.”

Thomas never recovered having been stabbed in the heart.

McCarroll had faced a murder allegation, but the culpable homicide guilty plea was accepted on the grounds of provocation.

However, it was stated McCarroll used “excessive violence” which went further “than was necessary to protect himself”.

Tony Graham, defending, previously said the parking issue was “a ridiculously trivial dispute which escalated.”

The QC added McCarroll had since “demonstrated proper remorse” for what happened.