Craig Roy jailed for life for murder of schoolboy Jack Frew
Craig Roy slit Jack Frew's throat and stabbed him 20 times in a ferocious attack
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The teenager convicted of the murder of schoolboy Jack Frew has been given a life sentence with a minimum of 18 years in custody.
Craig Roy admitted stabbing the 16-year-old 20 times and slitting his throat in woods in East Kilbride in May 2010.
Sentencing him, a judge at the High Court in Edinburgh described the attack as "brutal, sustained and merciless".
Roy, 19, claimed he had taken a knife to a meeting with Jack to "scare him".
During the trial, the court was told that Roy and Jack were classmates at Duncanrig High School in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire.
Ferocious attack
The jury heard Roy had cheated on his long-term boyfriend, Christopher Hannah, with Jack and was plagued by guilt over his infidelity.
He admitted stabbing the openly gay teenager but claimed to have no memory of it.
Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote Craig had blood all over him” End Quote Christopher Hannah Witness
Roy took a knife to a meeting at a wooded area near Wellesley Crescent and Mossneuk Road and launched a ferocious attack on his classmate.
Defensive wounds to his hand showed Jack had fought for his life.
Minutes later, as Jack lay dying, instead of calling emergency services Roy called Christopher, who went to the scene.
Giving evidence during the trial, Christopher said: "Craig had blood all over him. I was worried he was hurt. He wasn't saying anything. He wasn't making sense. He looked bewildered. There was a knife in his hand."
When he went over to Jack he said: "His neck was cut. It was open. I knew he wasn't alive."
Defence dismissed
Roy had claimed that he was unable to deal with anger in public and chose instead to bottle it up and "explode" in private by self-harming.
Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote You carried out a brutal, sustained and merciless attack which left your victim dead and mutilated” End Quote Judge Lord Doherty
Three psychiatrists who gave evidence said that while Roy had certain personality traits, he did not have a personality disorder and was not mentally impaired at the time of the killing.
The jury rejected defence claims he suffered from a personality disorder and should be convicted of culpable homicide, and instead convicted him of murder.
In a statement following the conviction at the High Court in Glasgow, Jack's family said his life was "snatched from him" and his good name "tarnished" by Roy.
Sentencing Roy, Judge Lord Doherty said: "You armed yourself with a knife which you brought to the scene of the crime. Using it, you carried out a brutal, sustained and merciless attack which left your victim dead and mutilated.
"In the whole circumstances, the punishment part which I fix is 18 years.
"Whether you are released after serving that period or later will be a matter for the Parole Board in due course, but if you are released back into the community it will be under the conditions of a licence and for the remainder of your life you will be subject to recall to prison if you are in breach of any of those conditions."
Craig Roy, found guilty of the murder of Jack Frew, has been sentenced to  by Judge Lord Doherty after a trial at the  in Scotland lasting twelve days. In court, Doherty told Roy he "carried out a brutal, sustained and merciless attack". 

Roy confirmed that in May 2010 he stabbed Frew with a cooking knife twenty times in woodland close to  in the town of , , where the two were classmates. Frew had previously contacted Roy by text, asking to meet him at this location, Roy explained. Roy spoke of his intention being to "scare" Frew when bringing the knife to their meeting and claimed he could not recall stabbing him despite admitting it. During the attack Roy, who was aged seventeen at the time, managed to slit Frew's throat, damage his ribs and puncture his lungs. According to Doherty, Frew was left "dead and mutilated". Wounds on Frew's hand indicated he had unsuccessfully attempted to defend himself.

The jury at the High Court was told that Roy was feeling guilt because he was unfaithful to Christopher Hannah, his long time boyfriend, with Jack Frew, an openly homosexual 16-year-old. Roy told the court Frew attempted to blackmail Roy into having sex with him.

In the minutes following the attack, Roy did not contact the emergency services. However, Roy contacted Hannah via telephone. Having travelled to the scene of the attack, Hannah told the court: "Craig had blood all over him. I was worried he was hurt. He wasn't saying anything. He wasn't making sense. He looked bewildered. There was a knife in his hand." He stated of Frew: "His neck was cut. It was open. I knew he wasn't alive."

The defence had attempted to get the murder charge reduced to one of  on the grounds of Roy having a personality disorder. Roy claimed he suffered from anger management difficulties, choosing to conceal his emotions publicly before going on to "explode" when not in a public place, . Three psychologists at the trial providing evidence to the jury stated that when Roy committed the murder he suffered from neither mental impairment nor personality disorder. The defence's claim was ultimately rejected by the jury. All members of the jury were agreed upon the guilty verdict after deliberating under two hours.

After the trial, in a statement, Robert and Lorraine Frew described their son Jack as "a happy, loving vibrant boy who loved life and brought fun and laughter to every situation".

Roy is to remain in prison for at least eighteen years before gaining the right to apply for parole. If granted parole, Roy must adhere to set licence conditions until his death.