A WELL-LIKED former community councillor, tormented by youths at his home, was killed after he confronted yobs who turned up at his door late at night.

This was told to the High Court in Glasgow which heard that William McLachlan bled to death in the front garden of his home in Largs, after being fatally struck with a Samurai sword.

He was attacked by Jamie Cameron – a 20 year-old thug, with a history of violence, who was high on drink and drugs at the time.

Cameron is now behind bars after he pleaded guilty to the culpable homicide of the 57 year-old bachelor. He faces a lengthy jail-term when he is sentenced next month.

The court heard how Mr McLachlan lived alone and was known in the local area as ‘Bungalow Bill’. He had previously been a member of Largs Community Council and formerly worked for IBM.

He latterly suffered from a number of health problems including a tumour in his kidney and an enlarged heart.

Prosecutor Ashley Edwards told how Mr McLachlan had recently been plagued with problems at his home in Holehouse Road.

Miss Edwards added: “He had been subjected to incidents of vandalism and harassment by local youths which involved his windows being broken and property set alight.” On April 11 this year – the night before the killing - Cameron spent the night with friends Jordan Skeoch and Ross Combe taking drink and drugs.

Mr McLachlan was found by two council workers around 7am lying in a pool of blood in his garden.

The prosecutor said Cameron’s “eyes were like saucers” when Combe’s mum revealed to them the news of the death.

The court heard that Cameron had changed into tracksuit bottoms that were far too big for him. Cameron went home and asked his mum what had happened to Mr McLachlan.

When told he was dead, Cameron admitted being at the man’s house, but claimed that Mr McLachlan had attacked him.

Jordan Skeoch then later went to the police and told how they had gone to Mr McLachlan’s house “to see if they could see him”.

One of them shouted on Mr McLachlan before the man was said to have yelled back” “You lot have wakened me up. Wait there.” Skeoch claimed Mr McLachlan came out with a Samurai sword and tried to “poke” it into Cameron’s side.

He described Mr McLachlan as “quite old” and that he was going towards Cameron “kind of slowly”.

Skeoch said Cameron then struck Mr McLachlan with a bottle before a struggle broke out.

He went on to tell officers: “He got the sword off him and then Jamie done whatever with the sword and then he put it somewhere.” Cameron was said to have thrown the weapon away in nearby school playing fields.

Asked by police had they gone there to “noise up” Mr McLachlan, Skeoch said: “No, we weren’t being aggressive or anything.

“Just ‘oh, let’s go and look through this window’. We were just full of drink and drugs.” Cameron was then later detained, but made no comment.

The court heard Mr McLachlan bled to death due to two “significant” wounds to his left leg – with his femoral artery being struck.

Miss Edwards: “At least moderate force would have been required to cause these injuries.” Cameron faced a murder allegation before the Crown Office accepted his plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide.

It emerged he already had three previous convictions – all for violence with one involving the use of a knife.

Skeoch (20) had been accused of assaulting Mr McLachlan by kicking him on the head, but his not guilty plea was accepted.

Judge Lord Bracadale remanded Cameron in custody and deferred sentencing until October 15 at the High Court in Edinburgh.