Man jailed for at least 19 years for murder of musician in Inverness

A man who murdered an Inverness musician who had allowed him to stay at his flat has been jailed for life and told he will serve 19 years before being considered for parole.

Waldemar Jaronski, 52, hit Iain MacFarlane with a glass bottle before choking him to death with a strap and a vacuum cord and stuffing boxer shorts in his mouth.

MacFarlane, 32, had met Jaronski - of no fixed abode - while out busking in the city centre, just a month before the killing in December last year.

Jaronski admitted murder at the High Court in Glasgow. Lord Mulholland told him that MacFarlane's death was a "heart-breaking" loss.

He said: "You have visited on his family a life sentence of profound grief and loss."

Jaronski's minimum jail term was cut from 21 years due to his guilty plea, but Lord Mulholland warned him that he may never be freed.

He said: "The victim impact statements from Iain MacFarlane's parents and sister are heart-breaking.

"What struck me was how kind a person he was.

"He always helped others particularly those in need. He was a magnificent musician and writer.

"His musicianship took him all the world. Iain MacFarlane's parents describe the entire city of Inverness being in mourning when he passed."

MacFarlane - originally from Ullapool in the Highlands - lived alone in Inverness.

The trial heard that he had offered Jaronski the chance to stay at his flat on Strathspey Place, in the Milton of Leys area.

The attack happened of 4 December last year when the musician returned home in the early hours of the morning.

Jaronski said he had become angry, claiming MacFarlane had done something he did not like.

The court heard that he brandished a knife at MacFarlane, who managed to grab the blade.

During the struggle, Jaronski picked up a glass bottle and struck MacFarlane, knocking him to the ground.

The court heard Jaronski restrained MacFarlane by placing his knee on his neck and "pressing down" with his body weight.

He then tied two ligatures around his neck after his victim lost consciousness.

Jaronski also forced a pair of boxer shorts into his mouth, before leaving the flat wearing blood-stained clothing.

He later called police on 999 to confess, saying: "I killed Iain. He is dead."

The musician is survived by his parents and sister.

In a statement, his family said: "His immeasurable loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him."

The court heard that Jaronski had "no excuse" for attacking a man he appeared to have been on "good terms" with.

Defence advocate KC Richard Goddard said: "He says that the behaviour was the greatest regret of his life."