The killer who stabbed former Mr Scotland Michael ‘Musk’ O'Hanlon to death has had his jail term reduced by two years following an appeal.

Steven Kirkwood was jailed for 14 years in June for the fatal stabbing of 45-year-old O’Hanlon from Irvine.

But Kirkwood, 44, had his sentence reduced to 12 years at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh today (Friday, November 3).

After he claimed that his original jail term was "excessive", Kirkwood had it replaced with a 12-year sentence.

Lord Malcolm, who heard the appeal with Lady Paton, said: "While we can understand that for the deceased's family it is unlikely that any sentence can be described as excessive, we are persuaded that some weight should be attached to the jury's view as to the appellant acting under provocation."

Kirkwood brutally attacked O’Hanlon in the office of HK Autotek garage in Stevenston, on July 25, last year.

He claimed that he had acted in self-defence after being assaulted by O’Hanlon and his friend Forbes Cowan, 52, a former competitor in the World's Strongest Man contest.

Kirkwood was originally charged with murder, but the jury at the High Court in Glasgow unanimously convicted him of the reduced charge of culpable homicide under provocation.