Kirkcaldy '˜vampire skull sword' killer loses appeal

Adrian Hynd was jailed for the murder, which happened at a flat on Victoria Road.

A sci-fi fan who repeatedly plunged a '˜vampire skull' sword into his victim in Kirkcaldy has lost a legal bid to have his sentence cut.

Adrian Hynd (52) was jailed for life after being convicted last year of murdering Alexander Forbes with the 18-inch long blade at a flat on Victoria Road, on January 2 2017.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Mr Forbes (25) suffered over 100 wounds after being struck with the fantasy weapon at Hynd’s home.

Judge Lord Ericht imposed a minimum sentence of 18 years on Hynd, who is serving his sentence at Glenochil Prison in Stirlingshire.

On Wednesday, Hynd’s advocate Mark Stewart QC argued before judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh that the term imposed on his client was too lengthy.

He said that Mr Hynd sustained injuries during the incident which were defensive in nature and showed that he had came under attack.

However, judges Lady Dorrian, Lord Malcolm and Lord Menzies rejected Mr Stewart’s submissions.

Lady Dorrian said: “We cannot say this sentence was excessive and for this reason the appeal must fall.”

The trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard that Hynd’s flat was decorated with Star Trek memorabilia in glass cabinets.

He had a “Klingon sword”, an axe from the Lord of the Rings and various other types of knives and swords on display at the property.

The trial heard that Mr Forbes, Hynd and two other men came back to the murderer’s house after spending the evening drinking at the Windsor bar.

They had all met for the first time a few hours earlier. The court heard that Mr Forbes apparently boasted of having links to gangland figures and being related to boxing champion Tyson Fury.

Police in attendance at the scene of the murder on Victoria Road.

He was also said to have shown off a “shotgun wound” to his fellow drinkers.

The court heard that Mr Hynd had a glass eye and enjoyed science fiction. During the evening the court heard how he removed his eye before stabbing his victim.

Hynd told jurors that they were discussing buying the pub when the two other men left. He said Hynd became enraged when it appeared that the pub deal wouldn’t proceed.

He said Forbes seized an ornate sword with a vampire design from a display stand.

The court heard that Hynd, an operations manager for a cleaning firm, started fighting with Mr Forbes. He then repeatedly stabbed Mr Forbes.

A pathologist found more than 100 injuries on Forbes’s body. Tests found cocaine in the dead man’s blood and enough alcohol to put him at seven times the drink driving limit.

Hynd claimed he was acting in self defence. However, jurors rejected his claims and convicted him of murder.

Following Wednesday’s verdict, relatives of Mr Forbes welcomed the court’s decision by clapping and shouting ‘yes’ from the public benches.