A newlywed couple who stabbed their neighbour to death after throwing a pan of boiling water and sugar over him have been jailed for more than 20 years.

Colin Skilbeck was attacked and suffered nine knife wounds to the chest after answering his front door to downstairs neighbours Rene Howieson and Kathleen Downey in Edinburgh.

Mother-of-five Downey threw a kitchen pan full of boiling water and sugar solution at the victim before Howieson struck him repeatedly with the knife on March 12 at Gibson Terrace, Fountainbridge.

Howieson admitted murdering Mr Skilbeck by throwing the solution in his face and repeatedly striking him with a knife.

One of the stab wounds penetrated the 41-year-old's heart and killed him.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Armstrong jailed Howieson for life, ordering him to serve a minimum of 14 years and two months in prison.

During the attack, Howieson handed the knife to Downey who also used it to stab Mr Skilbeck.

Downey, who admitted killing Mr Skillbeck by throwing the water and sugar at him and striking him with the knife, was sentenced to five years and three months in jail.

The 35-year-old had faced a murder charge but the Crown accepted her plea to a reduced charge of culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Lord Armstrong told them: "I have no doubt Mr Skilbeck's family and friends have been deeply affected by this and nothing I can say or do can compensate for their loss."

Downey's older sister, Maureen, 40, of Chalmers Buildings, Tollcross, Edinburgh, had her not guilty plea to the murder charge accepted.

Howieson and Downey, who both had alcohol and substance abuse problems, had married about a month and a half before the killing of their upstairs neighbour.

Downey and her new husband both have previous convictions for possession of a knife.