A man who killed his pensioner stepfather, then went to walk the dog, has been jailed for more than five years.
Dale Berwick fatally punched and kicked Thomas Adams, 65, at the family home in Glenrothes’ Uist Road on February 20.
The 29-year-old had recently moved back there after struggling with a love split.
His lawyer said a “well meant” pep talk by Mr Adams eventually resulted in violence.
First offender Berwick was locked up for five years and a month at the High Court in Glasgow.
He had earlier admitted a culpable homicide charge.
‘Kind-hearted and loving’
Lady Stacey told him: “You tried to deal with the break-up by taking the wrong turn.
“Your mum and stepdad tried to help you as they could see the whole thing was having a bad effect on you.
“However, it all ended in tragedy and it was down to your violent act.”
The judge cut the sentence from eight years due to his guilty plea.
After he died, Mr Adams’ family released a statement through Police Scotland.
They said: “Thomas was a kind-hearted and loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandad and brother who will be sorely missed by all of his family and many friends.”
Berwick had been described as “dealing poorly” with the breakdown of the relationship.
Hours before the killing, he left the house after an apparent argument with Mr Adams.
When he returned, he lashed out at his stepdad, who was holding a cup of coffee.
Mr Adams had just came back from taking a young relative to a McDonald’s takeaway for dinner.
The child rushed to get Berwick’s mum Jacqueline Adams – Thomas’s wife – who found the men confronting each other.
Child saw deadly struggle
Prosecutor Shanti Maguire said: “In the course of the struggle, Berwick punched Thomas three or four times to the chest.
“He then kicked him causing him to fall.
“The child witnessed Berwick kick Thomas on the chest.
“Thomas indicated that he was struggling for breath.
“Berwick then kicked him again.”
The killer fled as Mr Adams begged his wife to call an ambulance, before collapsing onto a table.
Police arrived and found the pensioner grey and unresponsive.
Due to paramedics being “some distance away”, officers carried out CPR.
A defibrillator was also used to try to revive Mr Adams but police could not use it when a “warning” signal showed on the device.
Mr Adams was initially found to have a swollen neck as a result of a collapsed lung.
Killer went to walk dog after attack
Miss Maguire told the court: “After initially attending the scene – and before the ambulance arrived – police went to look for Berwick.
“He was located close by, walking a dog.
“He was arrested for assaulting Thomas.”
After being held in custody, Berwick called his mum Jacqueline, who confronted him about the death of her husband.
He insisted it was “accidental” and that it was a “massive mistake”.
The court heard Mr Adams died as a result of blunt force chest trauma associated with rib fractures.
This also affected his lungs.
Tony Lenehan, defending, said: “This was a spontaneous event rather than a pre-meditated one.
“What he took as an argument was almost certainly well-meant – but exasperated – words from Mr Adams about the direction that he was heading.”
