The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Knifeman found guilty of brutal Fife murder
Victim was repeatedly stabbed in frenzied attack
A science fiction fan who repeatedly plunged a vampire skull fantasy sword into his victim is facing life in prison for the brutal murder.
Adrian Hynd, 51, repeatedly stabbed Alexander Forbes, 25, with an 18-inch blade in a frenzied attack at his home in Kirkcaldy on January 2 this year.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Mr Forbes suffered over 100 wounds during an attack in which he fought to save his life.
Hynd turned on Mr Forbes, of Edinburgh, after the pair had spent the previous evening drinking in Kirkcaldy’s Windsor Bar.
They returned to Hynd’s flat in the town’s Victoria Road.
The Star Trek fan stabbed his victim on the abdomen, buttocks, lower back and thighs. The court heard how there were also 10 incise wounds on his face, head and neck.
Hynd also seized his victim’s neck, repeatedly punched him on the head before repeatedly stabbing him. When police discovered Mr Forbes’s body, the weapon was still stuck in place.
It had punctured his lungs and had gone into his spine.
One experienced police officer described the scene as being the “worst” he had encountered in almost 30 years of service. He said it was a “scene of utter carnage.”
Yesterday jurors convicted Hynd, who claimed he acted in self-defence, of murder.
The verdict unleashed a wall of noise from friends and family of Mr Forbes who had gathered in court.
Around 30 people were present and they screamed “yes” at the top of their voices.
A court room security guard, who was sitting beside Hynd in the dock, immediately placed her hands over the accused’s head as if to protect him from potential threats.
Police ejected one spectator from court after he continued to scream abuse at Hynd.
Speaking after the verdict, defence advocate Mark Stewart QC said his client accepted that he would be jailed for life.
Judge Lord Ericht adjourned sentence to obtain reports about Hynd’s character.
The verdict came at the end of the second week of proceedings against Hynd.
At the start of proceedings, the court heard how Mr Forbes had been acting aggressively during a night out at the Windsor Bar.
The court heard how he allegedly spent his final hours showing off his “gunshot wounds” before telling a
He said to me ‘do you know who I am? Do you know what I could do to you?’
barmaid that he could “damage her”, the court heard.
Barmaid Stephanie Ewing, 21, said Mr Forbes spent the night of January 1 “bothering” customers in the Windsor Bar.
Ms Ewing told the court that Mr Forbes unbuttoned his shirt to show off a scar on his stomach.
He described the scar as being a “gunshot wound”.
And Ms Ewing said that at closing time, he told her that he didn’t want to leave the pub and then asked her a question.
She said: “He said to me ‘do you know who I am? Do you know what I could do to you? I could damage you’.”
The court heard that Mr Forbes then met Hynd later in the evening. When the pub closed, Hynd suggested to Forbes and two other men that they come back to his for a drink.
Offshore worker John Taylor, 52, said that he and his brother-in-law saw Mr Forbes and Hynd having a mock fight as the evening progressed.
At closing time, Mr Taylor, his relative and Mr Forbes ended up back at Mr Hynd’s home for a “party”.
After the two men left, Hynd attacked Forbes with an ornamental sword which had a vampire skull handle.
Hynd will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on October 30.