Nathan Gibson murder: John Paul Whitla prison sentence increased

The murder was alleged to have been carried out during a suspected drug-related encounter between the two men on a towpath near Lake Road.

Post-mortem examinations revealed Mr Gibson had been stabbed 18 times to the head and a further 31 times in the neck.

Whitla left the scene covered in blood and went to Mr Gibson’s home where he managed to convince the victim’s partner to help clean him up.

He threatened and held the woman captive, and at one point suggested he had been told to carry out the murder by a local drugs gang.

Whitla, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Gibson, as well as common assault and false imprisonment of his girlfriend.

Last December, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum tariff of 15 years before he can be considered for release.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) appealed the term, arguing that the degree of premeditation in the killing justified a higher tariff.

Defence lawyers responded that Whitla was impaired by a low IQ and claimed the challenge was devoid of merit.