Killer who lured man on Grindr before stabbing him to death jailed for life

A killer who lured a man via Grindr before murdering him in a savage knife attack has been jailed for at least 20 years.

Connor Manners, 27, used the dating app to arrange a meeting with Gary Nicol, 50, at a primary school in Livingston, West Lothian, on 26 September 2024.

When the pair met during the early hours of the morning, Manners inflicted 12 stab and slash wounds on the father-of-three.

Judge Lord Renucci said Manners had perpetrated a "brutal, premeditated and cowardly attack on an unsuspecting victim".

Manners pleaded guilty to murder at the High Court in Edinburgh in June and returned for sentencing on Friday.

He was handed a life sentence with at least 20 years behind bars.

The court heard Manners and HGV driver Mr Nicol were previously unknown to each other but made contact through Grindr.

Unemployed Manners had created an account where he posed as a teenager. The pair agreed to meet at Williamston Primary School on Bankton Lane.

Advocate depute Alan Cameron KC said: "While there are no witnesses who can describe what happened when Mr Nicol and the accused met, it is clear that the accused lured him there with an intention to do him harm.

"He went to the meeting armed with a knife and a crossbow and repeatedly struck Mr Nicol with the knife, causing his death."

The court heard Mr Nicol sustained two slash and six stab wounds to his neck, one of which punctured the jugular vein, and four stab wounds to his chest.

He was found dead in the early hours of the morning after a motorist spotted his body next to his car.

When the police investigation led them to Manners' home on 11 October 2024, he told officers: "I am surprised it took you so long to be honest.

"All the evidence you need is in a black bag in the kitchen. The knife that is stuck in the wall is the knife that was used."

Manners was also said to have apologised for what had happened, telling officers: "Send condolences to the family."

Prosecutor Mr Cameron said the knife he was referring to was lodged in a wall, holding up a piece of paper titled "assassin checklist".

It contained a list of bullet points for activities such as MMA training, self-defence training, to study serial killers and to practice and train in stealth weaponry.

Mr Camerson said: "Within the black bag which the accused mentioned to officers were various items of his clothing and shoes which were stained with Mr Nicol's blood."

After being detained, Manners told police: "Just as well you caught me, I was going to do another one."

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The court heard that the killer told a forensic psychiatrist that he wanted to get caught so that "he could get his dream job as an assassin for a government or governmental agency".

Mr Cameron said: "He said he had left clues for the police to find him so that he could 'get a foot in the industry'."

He was seen by a forensic psychiatrist who concluded he was unfit to be interviewed by detectives.

The court heard that after he was charged and remanded in custody, Manners spent about four months in the high security State Hospital at Carstairs before being returned to the mainstream prison system.

Defence counsel Ian Duguid KC said his client was currently receiving antipsychotic medication, adding: "Whatever personality disorder he is afflicted with it is not one that affects his responsibility for the crime."

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