A MAN has been jailed for life after stabbing a teenager to death in Edinburgh before hiding the knife in the grounds of Holyrood Palace.
Bailey Dowling, 21, from London, killed 18-year-old Lewis McCartney in the Dumbiedykes area of the capital in 2023.
He was sentenced to at least 15 years in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh before he is eligible to apply for release.
Dowling had denied murdering McCartney and claimed he acted in self defence after he was struck with a bottle.
However, he was convicted of the crime of murder and a further charge of unlawful possession of an offensive weapon.
He armed himself with a large kitchen knife before meeting the victim and his friends in Dumbiedykes.
The court heard how violence then erupted, as Dowling was struck on the head before he stabbed McCartney in the back.
He claimed he was "dazed and confused" during the incident and did not intend to harm the victim.
The court also heard Dowling hid the knife on the grounds of Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the King when he is in Scotland.
He then left Edinburgh for his home in London, where he later handed himself in to police.
Judge Lord Matthews told Dowling that his victim had "everything to live for" and that his loss was devastating for family and friends.
Matthews said McCartney was "robbed" of the future that lay ahead of him following the fatal attack on him.
He told the court: "It is clear you came to Edinburgh for what you hoped would be an enjoyable time and so it would have been but for the decisions you made."
The judge added: "Taking a knife into the street is never acceptable."
Co-accused Benjamin Wilson, 20, was convicted of assaulting Dowling by hitting him on the head with a bottle in the same incident.
He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work under a two-year community payback order.
