‘Career criminal’ locked up for ‘needless, unexplained’ murder

The High Court judge who sentenced Coventry to life imprisonment yesterday labelled him a “career criminal” and a “dangerous” man.

Following the guilty majority verdict delivered by the jury, advocate depute Tim Niven-Smith revealed that Coventry had a long list of convictions dating back to 1987 and spent time in jail for various offences including numerous drugs charges, abduction and possession of a firearm, among others.

“He is therefore no stranger to the courts and has a propensity for violence,” Mr Niven-Smith concluded.

Sentencing him to a minimum of 20 years behind bars before parole could even be considered, Lord Uist criticised Coventry for his actions on that fateful day last May when he stabbed Darren Adie and left him for dead.

“You have been convicted by the jury of the needless and unexplained murder by stabbing of Darren Adie, a 42-year-old drunk man who was staggering about certain streets in Kirkcaldy waving his hands in the air,” he told him.

“The murder was also committed in broad daylight in a public street.

“You are now 52 years old and have a serious criminal record which includes two High Court convictions and two convictions on indictment.

“You are obviously a career criminal and the convictions indicate that you are a dangerous man.”

Lord Uist also paid tribute to the jury who had sat through six days of evidence, describing the whole trial as a “very nasty and unpleasant case”.

Your convictions indicate you are a dangerous man. LORD UIST

Killer Gordon Coventry told a witness: “I’m not going to get caught, there’s no DNA.”