Murdered disabled man's teeth found in his lungs after killer screamed 'die' in frenzied attack

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A brutal killer who murdered a disabled man in his home as a woman tried to shield the victim from continuing blows was jailed for life today.Daniel Gauld repeatedly punched, kicked and battered Douglas Struthers with a metal pole during the fatal assault.

Gauld was heard shouting "die,die,die" and his repeated two handed volley of punches to the victim's face was described as "like something out of Rocky".He had denied murdering Mr Struthers in the attack at the victim's home at Barony Court, Bo'ness, in West Lothian.

on September 14 in 2022, but was unanimously found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh. The 62-year-old victim was so severely injured that he died on September 17 in 2022 at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.A judge told Gauld: "You carried out a vicious, prolonged and savage attack on Douglas Struthers within his home." Lord Fairley said the assault was of such severity that two of the victim's teeth ended up inside his lungs.He pointed out that there were a number of aggravating features to the case, including the attack was unprovoked, Gauld was highly intoxicated at the time and the victim was a disabled man in his 60s.

The judge ordered that Gauld, formerly of Jessfield Place, Bo'ness, should serve a minimum of 20 years imprisonment before he becomes eligible to seek parole.Lord Fairley told Gauld that it did not follow that he will be released at the end of that period as it would be for parole authorities to consider that at the appropriate time.