Dog dirt murderer loses appeal against conviction

A PET owner who stabbed a neighbour to death after a row about dog dirt has lost an appeal against his murder conviction.

Mustafa Elsherkisi armed himself a large ornamental dagger before fatally wounding Mohammed Idris Mirza at a block of flats in Edinburgh in May 2010.

He was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 15 years.

Lawyers acting for Elsherkisi argued that he had suffered a miscarriage of justice following alleged misdirections by the trial judge Roger Craik QC. Lord Hardie, who heard the appeal with Lady Smith and Lady Cosgrove, said: “We are not persuaded that the trial judge misdirected the jury when he told them that intending to kill someone was obviously wicked.”