A woman has today been convicted of culpable homicide following the death of a man in Edinburgh.
Kathleen Downey, now aged 35, pled guilty at Livingston High Court to causing the death of 41-year-old Colin Skilbeck at a flat in Gibson Terrace on 12th March.
Downey, who lived in the flat beneath, threw water with sugar over Colin in the doorway of his flat following an earlier disagreement over noise.
Her husband, 36-year-old Rene Howieson, pled guilty to murder at Glasgow High Court on 19th July and admitted to stabbing Colin in the torso following Downey’s attack.
Downey has then also stabbed Colin and has now admitted to culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Emergency services were called to the flat around 8.15pm by a flatmate of Colin and officers performed CPR until the paramedics arrived.
Despite the best efforts of officers and medics, Colin was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Detective Inspector Susan Balfour of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team said: “Howieson and Downey have both now admitted to being responsible for causing Colin’s death in what was a shockingly brutal attack.
“Our thoughts very much remain with Colin’s family at this difficult time. Although nothing can undo their actions, I hope this conviction helps provide Colin’s family with some sense of justice.”
Howieson and Downey are due to be sentenced at Glasgow High Court on 11th January 2018.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
