Attacker had been freed on bail when he struck again

John Styles had been released on bail just seven days before the murder over a knife robbery.

He was free while awaiting sentence over two separate weapons charges – one a city centre knife robbery on a female student, the other possession of an offensive weapon.

A week after stabbing Mr Van Neijhof to death he was jailed for a total of 30 months over the charges.

Court papers revealed Styles had only walked out of court the week before the attack because social work background reports on his coaccused were not ready.

On May 18 Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentence on Styles and Janette Melrose so those reports could be completed, granting both bail and ordering them to return on June 1 when both were jailed.

The pair had admitted robbing 24-year-old Latvian student Jekaterina Maksimova in Dundee’s Nethergate on May 23 2017.

They pled guilty to that charge on April 17 and were both given bail.

Just two weeks later Styles was arrested for being in possession of an offensive weapon – a golf ball hidden in a sock – at an address in Commercial Street, Dundee.

Despite already being on bail having admitted the knife robbery charge, Styles again walked free, with sentence being deferred to call alongside the robbery charge.

The court heard that, in relation to the robbery, Styles and Melrose had followed Miss Maksimova.

As she approached a bar on Nethergate, at the front of the university, she noticed them walking towards her, with Melrose asking her for the time.

She was then grabbed by Styles, who was holding a 7cm knife.

Melrose demanded her phone as Styles removed her shoulder bag.

Styles, of Eskdale Avenue, and Melrose, 32, of Bonnethill Court, both pleaded guilty on indictment to assault and robbery.

On June 1 Styles was jailed for 28 months, and Melrose for 27.