Two admit killing Bellshill man

Reece Brunton and Liam Kippen, both 21, appeared at the High Court in Glasgow today.

Brunton admitted murdering 35-year-old John Hamilton at the victim’s home in Burnside Avenue last November. Kippen admitted the lesser charge of culpable homicide.

They are in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Inspector David Moran, who led the investigation, said: “John Hamilton was taken from his family at the age of 35 in an utterly senseless act.

“His family have had to endure the pain throughout the investigation and, although it doesn’t even begin to compensate them for his loss, hopefully today’s plea gives them some satisfaction in terms of the persons responsible being brought to justice.

“Reece Brunton and Liam Kippen have pled guilty to the murder and culpable homicide, respectively, of John Hamilton, having burst into a house and killed him in front of young children and women who were traumatised by what they witnessed.

“Police Scotland will not allow those who perpetrate extreme violence of this type to go unaccounted for their crimes.

“The local community played a large part in the successful investigation of this murder and I would like to thank them for that.”

Brunton and Kippen are both well known to police in Bellshill and both have amassed a series of convictions in recent years.

A police source said: “They’ve both been getting into trouble since they were juveniles. Brunton in particular is a habitual offender and now he’s committed the ultimate crime.”