THE brothers convicted of killing an Alloa man have been sentenced to significant jail terms.

Barry and Mark Harrison appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow this morning after Barry, 44, pleaded guilty to the murder of Kyle Watt in March of this year.

Mark, 36, was found guilty of culpable homicide following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in which the jury decided there was not sufficient evidence to convict the younger brother of murder.

A week-long trial in November heard that the brothers went to Pine Grove in Alloa on the night in question and after a disturbance at Mr Watt’s flat, he was found with two mortal stab wounds and a number of wounds, believed to have been caused by a baseball bat which CCTV saw Mark carrying as they entered the flat.

The court was shown CCTV footage of Mr Watt fleeing the flat only to be assaulted by Mark at the foot of the stairwell before he was marched back to the flat at knifepoint.

Moments later, the brothers left with Mr Watt dead inside.

This morning, Barry’s solicitor, Gordon Martin, told the court that a criminal justice social work report revealed his client “had trouble empathising or sympathising with the victim, or his family”, although he went on to say that it could be because he is still coming to terms with what he done.

Mark’s defence agent, Keith Stewart, said his client had a positive report in which he revealed raw emotion unprompted, at one point saying: “A few short moments changed so many lives forever.”

It was also revealed that Mark had offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide before the trial and at the commencement of it, although both offers were rejected.

Lord Kinclaven in sentencing said: “No sentence or words can compensate for the loss of this young life.”

Barry was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 17 years and Mark was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Pinkney from the major investigation team said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the family and friends of Kyle Watt and while nothing can undo the actions of Barry and Mark Harrison, his loved ones can hopefully take comfort in the fact that both men have been brought to justice.

"Tackling violent crime and removing offenders, particularly those who utilise weapons, remains a priority for Police Scotland and whenever such incidents arise we will investigate thoroughly to bring those responsible before the courts."