A DAD-of-three walked free from court last Wednesday after being cleared of murdering a convicted killer at a caravan park.

Robert Davidson, 28, was found not guilty of killing 41-year-old George Boyce, from Neilston, at Sandylands Holiday Park, Saltcoats, on June 5, last year.

Members of his family wept and shouted “Yes” as the verdict was given.

Judge John Morris QC told Mr Davidson: “You have been acquitted you are free to go.” Mr Davidson has always insisted he acted in self defence after Mr Boyce grabbed a knife and ran at him and his brother-in-law John Ingram.

Earlier all three men and their families had been enjoying a drink in a club at the caravan park.

Boyce had even been up on stage entertaining everyone.

But the mood turned sour when his partner Marie Richardson, 37, criticised the parenting style of Mr Ingram and he then told Boyce he wished she would shut up.

Boyce was angered by this and he and Mr Ingram scuffled. Then Boyce ran to his caravan and came back with a knife.

He was heard to shout: “I’m a lifer. I’ve done 16 years and I’ll do another 16 years for you.” Boyce was also saying: “Dafties” and “b******s.” The jury accepted that during a struggle to try to get the knife off him, Boyce was fatally injured by Mr Davidson, who was trying to defend himself.

The blow went right through Boyce’s heart and also the aorta – the major blood vessel in the heart.

He managed to make his way back to his caravan where he collapsed and died of massive blood loss.

When he was detained, Mr Davidson told police “I’m going to lose my whole family for protecting them.’” He then told officers that Mr Boyce had tried to stab him and he was just protecting himself and acting in self defence.

Boyce, from Neilston, Renfrewshire, was convicted in November 1996 of the murder of charity worker Chic McCarthy.

He carried out the savage slaying with a sword after churchgoing Chic, 38, tried to break up a gang fight in the town which broke out between Boyce’s younger brother Graeme, then 20, and Peter ­McGilloway, a 26-year-old bouncer.

Chic, who was also a musician, was attacked in the back of a car along with several friends.

Boyce, who was 23 when he carried out the brutal attack, was found guilty of murder and of attacking McGilloway and two other men. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.