Christopher Howe punched and kicked Paul Berry to death – then sent his own father photos of his friend lying in a pool of blood following the attack in Castlemilk.
A murderer who killed his companion just over a week after being released on bond has spent at least 17 years behind bars.
After killing Paul Berry with punches and kicks, 38-year-old Christopher Howe emailed pictures of the victim’s bloody corpse to his own father.
Howe was found guilty of the deadly attack on the 46-year-old last month and was today sentenced to life in prison at the High Court in Glasgow.
On November 18, 2022, a vicious murder took place at Mr. Berry’s Castlemilk residence in the city.
The victim passed away after what was described as an “altercation” between the pair. Howe left his friend without seeking any help.
He later told his partner that he had “done something wrong” and that he wanted to see her.
Howe also texted to admit: “I have murdered someone.”
His father Charles Alexander gave evidence during the trial and recalled his son confessing to him that he had done “a bad thing”.
The 68 year-old told jurors: “He said that he thought the man was dead.
According to Mr. Alexander, Howe also emailed him pictures of the victim, which he later removed. These were gruesome photos of a sick and injured Mr. Berry, the court was informed.
His body was discovered in his house a few days after the deadly attack, following the alarm being raised by other acquaintances.
Today, Tony Graham KC, the defence attorney, stated that Howe had not refuted his responsibility for the tragedy. The defence attorney said that the jury needed to decide between the more serious accusation of culpable homicide and murder.
During the sentencing, Lord Colbeck informed Howe that he was under three different bail orders at the time, one of which had been issued only eight days prior to the murder.
“In a pre-sentencing report, you told the social worker that you could,” the judge said not recall events that lead to the murder
However, Lord Colbeck said that Mr. Berry passed away from head trauma, had a cracked nose, and a fractured skull.
Howe was already convicted of crimes when he was just sixteen years old.
These included having an offensive weapon, being violent, and causing disturbances.
