A MAN who claimed he killed Greenock dad Jamie Walsh because he feared for his own life has been convicted of murder.

Thomas Sellar, 38, attacked and murdered Jamie during a violent confrontation in Wren Road last September.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Sellar had admitted killing Mr Walsh but claimed he was acting in self-defence.

He told jurors that Mr Walsh was in a group that had attacked him outside his property in the town.

However, Mr Walsh’s 26-year-old brother Christopher told the court that Jamie hadn’t done anything wrong.

He said his sibling had been brutally murdered and that Sellar had stabbed himself in the moments following the deadly attack.

A jury today rejected the accused's claims and convicted him of murder.

Following the verdict, it emerged that Sellar, formerly of Greenock, had no fewer than SIX previous convictions for offences involving knives.

Judge Lord Ericht remanded him in custody and deferred sentence for the court to obtain reports.

He told Sellar: “By verdict of the jury you have been convicted of the crime of murder. I will adjourn sentence for the court to obtain a criminal justice and social work report.”

The verdict came on the eighth day of proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Sellar, a prisoner of HMP Low Moss in Bishopbriggs, had denied murdering Jamie on September 10.

During proceedings, the court heard how Sellar and Jamie both lived at 123 Wren Road.

Jurors heard how Jamie had moved into a flat below Sellar, which was being rented by his friend.

The court heard that in the days before the incident, Sellar had objected to noise coming from the downstairs flat.

On the night of the incident, he had gone to the property to try to convince the residents to keep the noise down.

However, Sellar told defence advocate Herbert Kerrigan QC that a group of youths chased him back to his flat.

He told the court that he was being 'battered' by the youths and that when he got back to his property, he felt he had no other option but to grab a knife.

He claimed he thought the youths were going to kill him and said he wanted to use the blade in a bid to protect himself.

However, Sellar admitted that in the ensuing chaos, the knife came into contact with Jamie, who died shortly afterwards from his injuries.

Sellar said: “I was terrified. I thought I was going to die. They chased me down. I couldn’t breathe. I never intended to kill him. I never intended for anything like this to happen.”

However, Christopher Walsh also told the court that following the incident, Sellar claimed that Jamie had stabbed him first and showed off a wound which he claimed he had suffered during the fight.

When prosecution lawyer Stewart Ronnie asked Mr Walsh whether Jamie had attacked Mr Sellar with a knife, he replied: “No.”

Mr Walsh also said: “Jamie didn’t have a knife. He (Sellar) did it himself.”

Sellar will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on July 28.