The murderer of tragic Perth man Cameron Rae has been jailed for life and will serve a minimum of 16 years behind bars.
Caleb Ferguson stabbed 20-year-old Mr Rae to death at a flat in the city’s South Methven Street in April last year.
He was convicted following a week-long trial in which he had admitted killing Mr Rae but denied the murder charge.
At the High Court in Edinburgh he was told it will be 16 years before he is eligible for parole.
Lord Scott told him nothing said or done by the court would minimise the “devastating loss of a much-loved son and brother”.
Referencing a victim impact statement from Cameron’s mum Kerry Burgess, he said: “Cameron’s death has ripped her family apart.
“It’s clear there has been a significant impact on the family.”
Members of the public watching in court yelled “f***ing rot” and “f***ing burn” as Ferguson was led away.
During the trial, the court heard how Mr Rae was stabbed three times in a flat in South Methven Street on April 8 last year.
Ferguson and a friend then fled after alerting the authorities.
Police arrived to find Mr Rae grievously wounded and he passed away before he could be moved from the block of flats.
An autopsy revealed he had more than a litre of blood in his chest, caused by catastrophic damage to the diaphragm, spleen and lung.
In phone calls as he fled the scene, Ferguson said “I’m f***ed, I’m going to prison” and “I plugged f*** out of Cameron Rae” – meaning stabbed.
He then made his way to Arbroath and turned up in different clothes at the police station there.
Prosecutors originally said this was a bid to establish an alibi.
Because Ferguson did not give evidence, no reason for the assault has been revealed.
Mr Rae had been brought back to the flat by Ferguson’s friend, Connor Kelly, who did not witness the fatal knife strokes because he went downstairs to carry out a drug deal.
Lord Scott said: “In your own words you were out of control.
“Being intoxicated is no excuse whatsoever for what you did.”
He added: “The full details of what happened in those two minutes and 28 seconds remains unclear.
“It seems you lost your temper when Mr Rae made derogatory remarks about your father.
“Nothing he could have said could ever have been enough to explain or excuse what you did.”
He added: “It appears your grandmother died a few days prior and you were coping badly with the bereavement.”
He noted Ferguson – 18 at the time of the murder – told a social worker “about selling drugs for a lengthy period to provide you with a considerable income”.
He said Ferguson “may be starting to appreciate the impact of what you did on Cameron Rae’s family.”
After the conviction, Mr Rae’s grief-stricken mother said: “Nothing will ever be enough in my eyes – my boy is never coming home, ever.”
She had been angered by the behaviour of some of the accused’s supporters in court during the trial.
Advocate Richard Godden, representing Ferguson, said he had been witness to significant physical and emotional abuse as a child, though he had not been a victim himself.
He said his client was out of control on drink and drugs at the time of Mr Rae’s murder.
“The evidence showed he is extremely remorseful.
“He’s tearful, panicked and at one point talks about taking his own life after the incident occurred.”
Mr Goddard added Ferguson had contacted emergency services, telling them he just wanted to make sure Mr Rae “was all right”.
Earlier this month Ferguson was sentenced for two cases that predated Mr Rae’s death.
At Perth Sheriff Court he pled guilty to having a knife in Crammond Place on November 6 2022 – less than six months before he killed Mr Rae.
And he admitted driving a black BMW with 20 times the permitted level of cocaine in his system on the M90, near Kinross Services, a month later.
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