A man who murdered a father of three in a knife attack has been jailed for life.
Connor Manners, 27, used a dating app to lure Gary Nicol to meet near a primary school in Livingston, West Lothian, on 26 September 2024.
Manners earlier admitted to stabbing and slashing Nicol during the fatal attack after they met in the early hours of the morning.
A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh ordered that Manners must spend at least 20 years in prison, but warned him: “You may never be released.”
Advocate depute Alan Cameron KC told the court: “While there are no witnesses who can describe what happened when Mr Nicol and the accused met, it is clear that the accused lured him there with an intention to do him harm.
“He went to the meeting armed with a knife and a crossbow and repeatedly struck Mr Nicol with the knife, causing his death.”
At sentencing, Lord Renucci said Manners had “perpetrated a brutal, premeditated and cowardly attack on an unsuspecting victim”.
He added that any future decision over whether Manners is released will be for the parole board to make.
