A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment and told he must serve a minimum of 23 years in jail for murder and culpable homicide.

The trial of Robert Stratton, who is 43-years-old, took place in the High Court in Edinburgh. The court was told that in February of this year he had stabbed and killed cousins Julie McCash and David Sorrie following an altercation at a house in Dundee.

The court heard that Stratton and his partner were asked to leave a house, where they and others had gathered for drinks. Stratton’s partner returned to her home, where she damaged the kitchen before returning to the gathering and was subsequently ejected again and returned home.

Stratton then came out of his house armed with two knives and struck Julie McCash in the chest as she was making her way home. He then struck Sorrie in the body causing his death.

"This is a tragic case involving two needless deaths due to the combination of alcohol and knives,” commented Nicky Patrick, Procurator Fiscal for Homicide and Major Crime, speaking after sentencing. “Robert Stratton chose to take up a knife with the purpose of doing serious harm.”

“Crimes of this nature are thankfully rare and some comfort can hopefully be taken from the life sentence handed to Stratton today,” he added. "As prosecutors, we will continue to do our utmost to prosecute those who are responsible for violence and knife crime."

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