Bio

David Meehan was born in 1988 and was from Perth, Scotland. At the time of the murder, Meehan was 19 years old. He had worked at different times before the crime. His only verified prior conviction was for possession of an offensive weapon in July 2006.

Meehan became involved in the attack after a 15-year-old boy claimed he had been assaulted in South Inch Park. The boy contacted Martin Soutar, and Soutar and Meehan went to the park. They met the boy and searched for James Kerr, intending to confront and hurt him.

Murder Story

In the early morning of April 22, 2007, James McNab Kerr was in South Inch Park in Perth, Scotland. A 15-year-old boy met Kerr in the park and later claimed he had been assaulted. The boy contacted Martin Soutar, who then came to the park with David Meehan.

The three searched for Kerr and found him near the boating pond. The 15-year-old punched Kerr and knocked him to the ground. While Kerr was on the ground, Meehan and Soutar repeatedly punched and kicked him. Meehan continued kicking Kerr in the head after Soutar stopped.

The attackers left Kerr badly injured and did not call for help. Instead, they went to a nearby party and talked about the assault. Witnesses later reported homophobic comments connected to the attack.

About two hours later, Meehan, Soutar, and the boy walked past Kerr again. He was still lying where they had left him, but they did not help him. A passer-by found Kerr at about 4:30 a.m., and emergency services were called. Kerr had severe head injuries and died later that day at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

Meehan, Soutar, and the 15-year-old were charged. On October 15, 2007, Meehan pleaded guilty to murder. Soutar pleaded guilty to culpable homicide, and the 15-year-old pleaded guilty to assault.

On November 12, 2007, Meehan was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years. The judge said the killing was brutal and appeared to include a homophobic element.

Meehan later appealed his sentence. On December 17, 2009, his minimum term was reduced from 16 years to 14 years. He was not automatically released after that period, and later reporting stated that he remained in prison.