SENTENCING STATEMENTS
A judge may decide to publish a statement after passing sentence on an offender in cases where there is particular public interest; where a case has legal significance; or where providing the reasons for the decision might assist public understanding.
Please note that statements may include graphic details of offences when it is necessary to fully explain the reasons behind a sentencing decision.
Follow us if you wish to receive alerts as soon as statements are published.
Once charges are spent, any statement in relation to them is removed and cannot be provided or acknowledged. Statements published before the launch of the website may be available on request. Please email judicialcomms@scotcourts.gov.uk.
The independence of the judiciary is essential to safeguard people’s rights under law - enabling judges to make decisions impartially based solely on evidence and law, without interference or influence from the government or politicians.
When deciding a sentence, a judge must deal with the offence that the offender has been convicted of, taking into account the unique circumstances of each particular case. The judge will carefully consider the facts that are presented to the Court by both the prosecution and by the defence.
For more information about how judges decide sentences; what sentences are available; and matters such as temporary release, see the independent Scottish Sentencing Council website.
Read more about victims of crime and sentencing.
HMA v Amanda Welsh, Conor Thomas and Laura McHugh
Jul 23, 2025
On sentencing Lord Matthews made the following remarks in court:
"All three of you were found guilty of the brutal murder of Joseph McGready, whose untimely and needless death has caused an incalculable loss to his family and friends.
On 29 September 2023 all three of you plus Mr McGready went to the home of you Laura McHugh at 7 Braid Square and it appears that drugs were consumed. For whatever reason Mr McGready left and called 999 at 2050 hours. He was feeling suicidal and police officers found him in the Cowcaddens area about 2200. He was spoken to by a Community Psychiatric Nurse and since his mood changed and he was laughing and joking the officers took him where he wanted to go, which was back to the area of Braid Square.
It appears that he was met by you Laura McHugh and you both returned to the flat.
The evidence showed that you called Amanda Welsh’s phone, saying “Wait till I lock the door to appear”. That has all the hallmarks of a trap and the attack on Mr McGready happened within a few minutes thereafter.
Whether this was because Mr McGready was suspected of stealing a small amount of drugs is really of no consequence. What we know is that the jury found all three of you guilty of a concerted attack during which Mr McGready was stabbed and slashed on the cheek, the right arm, the lower left back and the upper left abdomen causing massive blood loss from which he ultimately died.
Mr McGready had the presence of mind to call 999 while he was being attacked and we could all hear what you were saying during the course of it, when he was struggling for his life.
After the attack he was dragged out to the landing and left there to die. All of you made off and wandered around the area of Maryhill and the Canal where the knives were disposed of. You were not arrested till days later. In the meantime, none of you thought to contact the emergency services, even anonymously, to alert them to Mr McGready.
As you know, the only sentence I can pass is one of life imprisonment. However, I also have to select a period, known as the punishment part of the sentence, which much pass before you can apply for parole. Whether or not you are ever released will be for the Parole Board to determine.
I have taken account of everything said by your counsel, the circumstances of the offence as brought out in the evidence and the contents of the Justice Social Work Reports, which make sad reading, setting out, as they do, your unfortunate circumstances and backgrounds I would have imposed the same sentence on all of you since there is nothing to distinguish the respective roles you played. However, your records are different.
I note that you Laura McHugh have just one conviction, in 2009, for being concerned in the supplying of cannabis, which resulted in an admonition.
Amanda Welsh, you have a more significant record, including several offences against the Misuse of Drugs Act, contempt of court, wasting police time, statutory breaches of the peace, having a sharp object, breaches of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and breaches of probation. Most of your offences were committed while on bail and in relation to this offence you were subject to two bail orders, the second dated only three days before the murder. You have never been sentenced to prison.
Conor Thomas, your record is the worst. It includes many convictions for statutory breach of the peace, including one with a blunt object and one with a bottle, possession of offensive weapons such as a knife, and a bottle, having a sharp object, assault to injury, assault, contraventions of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 and the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-Restricted Goods and Services)(Scotland) Act 2021, breaches of bail, breaches of community disposals, theft, attempting to pervert the course of justice, possession of drugs and failure to appear at court. You have previously been sentenced to custody, the longest period being ten months and you were subject to two bail orders at the time of the murder, the second being dated three weeks before.
I have to take account of the differences in your records and the existence of the bail orders so that the punishment part will not be the same for each of you. However, I must also recognise that you have already paid the penalty for the offences which you committed previously.
Amanda Welsh, I sentence you to life imprisonment, to run from 2 October 2023. I fix the punishment part at 17 years and 6 months including 3 months in respect of the bail aggravation.
Conor Thomas, I sentence you to life imprisonment, to run from 4 October 2023. I fix the punishment part at 18 years including 3 months in respect of the bail aggravation.
Laura McHugh, I remanded you in custody at the conclusion of the trial on 27 June 2025. I sentence you to life imprisonment, to run from the notional date of 22 June 2025, to allow for the period you spent in custody before being released on bail. I fix the punishment part at 17 years.