Leon Headey pleaded guilty to the murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month.
Ross MacGillivray was killed at a property in Inverness(Image: Police Scotland)
A man who carried out a string of violent attacks from Liverpool to Scotland has been caged for life. Leon Headey, 23, chased a man down the street while stabbing him repeatedly, and just two months later, he battered another man to death.
Headey, and Craig Hayden, murdered Ross MacGillivray in Inverness on November 11, 2023. The 36-year-old victim was restrained, punched, kicked and stamped on by the pair, causing “unsurvivable” injuries, reports the Liverpool ECHO.
Following the brutal attack, Headey and Hayden went with Mr MacGillivray’s estranged wife, Samantha MacGillivray, to the nearby Caledonian Canal and disposed of a number of items in an attempt to cover their tracks.
Headey and Hayden, pleaded guilty to the murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month.
Just two months before the murder took place, Headey was caught on CCTV chasing the other man down West Derby Road, Tuebrook, and stabbing at him repeatedly with a large kitchen knife. The violent attack took place in broad daylight on the morning of September 7, 2023.
Leon Headey pleaded guilty to the murder at the High Court in Glasgow. (Image: ECHO)
The victim ran and fell into the road, then scrambled into a passing car, which was stopped at the traffic lights.
At Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, November 24, prosecutor Ian Hopkins said: “The man who the defendant attacked with a knife would not assist police, but witnesses described seeing three men arguing. It’s not clear what the argument was about. But, unprovoked, the defendant, with a knife, attacked the other man, and could be seen swinging aggressively with the knife.
“As regards the injuries caused, the victim would not allow the police to access any medical records and would not assist. But a police officer spoke to ambulance staff, who told him the victim had sustained one stab wound to his upper chest and two stab wounds to his back.
“The man was bleeding profusely and heavily. One of the witnesses was approached by him; he jumped into his car and asked to be taken to the hospital, which he did.”
It was the first in a series of violent crimes committed by Headey in a three month period, culminating in the savage murder of Mr MacGillivray on November 11 2023. He also admitted to violently attacking another man outside a property in Alness, a town in Scotland, on October 25, 2023.
Appearing at Liverpool Crown via video link on Monday, Headey pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a bladed article in a public place in relation to the incident in Liverpool, and was sentenced to a total of 22 months in prison.
He appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, November 27, on charges of murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years and seven months.
Hayden, from Alness, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 17 years and two months. Ms MacGillivray’s estranged wife Samantha MacGillivray, 33, was jailed for one year and nine months after admitting attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Detective Inspector Richard Baird of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team said: “Ross MacGillivray was subjected to a brutal and violent attack, leaving him with unsurvivable injuries.
He appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, November 27, on charges of murder and aggravated assault. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years and seven months.
Hayden, from Alness, was ordered to serve a minimum term of 17 years and two months. Ms MacGillivray’s estranged wife Samantha MacGillivray, 33, was jailed for one year and nine months after admitting attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Detective Inspector Richard Baird of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team said: “Ross MacGillivray was subjected to a brutal and violent attack, leaving him with unsurvivable injuries.