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| Footballer's father guilty of 1999 Coatbridge murder | Footballer's father guilty of 1999 Coatbridge murder |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The father of former Hearts footballer Ryan McGowan has been found guilty of a 1999 murder after being extradited to Scotland from Australia. | The father of former Hearts footballer Ryan McGowan has been found guilty of a 1999 murder after being extradited to Scotland from Australia. |
| James McGowan, 57, had denied killing Owen Brannigan, 46, by repeatedly stabbing him at a house in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. | James McGowan, 57, had denied killing Owen Brannigan, 46, by repeatedly stabbing him at a house in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. |
| McGowan and his wife had emigrated to Australia in 1980. | McGowan and his wife had emigrated to Australia in 1980. |
| The case was one of the first to be investigated by the Crown Office cold case unit when it was set up in 2011. | The case was one of the first to be investigated by the Crown Office cold case unit when it was set up in 2011. |
| McGowan murdered Mr Brannigan after he travelled back to Scotland for his mother's funeral in November 1999. | McGowan murdered Mr Brannigan after he travelled back to Scotland for his mother's funeral in November 1999. |
| The High Court in Edinburgh heard how he told helpline counsellors in 2012 that he had killed a man. | The High Court in Edinburgh heard how he told helpline counsellors in 2012 that he had killed a man. |
| McGowan told one advisor that he had "crossed a line" and that something was "slowly eating away" at him. | McGowan told one advisor that he had "crossed a line" and that something was "slowly eating away" at him. |
| 'Frightening thing' | 'Frightening thing' |
| He added: "Once you've crossed the line and you jump back... you know you can always go across the line. | He added: "Once you've crossed the line and you jump back... you know you can always go across the line. |
| "Some people can't go across it and I know I went and done it and it's a frightening thing - a frightening thing to deal with. | "Some people can't go across it and I know I went and done it and it's a frightening thing - a frightening thing to deal with. |
| "You go 'Jesus, I can't kill people. But I did.'" | "You go 'Jesus, I can't kill people. But I did.'" |
| He also said: "I would have been better off getting caught... you know I'll probably be coming out to join society again as a better person than what I'm doing - because every single frickin' day it's slowly eating away at me." | He also said: "I would have been better off getting caught... you know I'll probably be coming out to join society again as a better person than what I'm doing - because every single frickin' day it's slowly eating away at me." |
| McGowan's son Ryan played for Hearts from 2008 to 2013. | McGowan's son Ryan played for Hearts from 2008 to 2013. |
| The Australia international also had spells with Dundee United, Ayr United and Partick Thistle, and last played for Chinese club Henan Jianye. | |