George Rogerson jailed for eight years for killing Leon Cairney in Plean A man who killed a former soldier days before Christmas has been jailed for eight years. George Rogerson, 22, repeatedly stabbed father Leon Cairney in the garden of the his home in Plean, Stirlingshire, three days before Christmas last year. Rogerson, who has 20 previous convictions, was on bail when he plunged a blade 11 times into defenceless Leon's chest and stomach. The ex-squaddie, 25, had previously served the United Kingdom in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Belize. At the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, defence advocate Iain Duguid QC told judge Lord Kinclaven that Rogerson accepted his guilt. Mr Duguid also said that his client knew that Leon's family would be feeling "devastated" by the loss of their relative. Passing sentence, Lord Kinclaven also ordered Rogerson to be supervised by the authorities for two years following his release from prison. He also said the public needed to be protected from Rogerson, who smiled to members of his family as he was brought into the dock from the court room cells. He added: "There's no alternative disposal to custody. There is no other appropriate way to deal with you. Rogerson, of Plean, Stirlingshire, originally stood trial on a murder charge at the High Court in Dundee last month. The trial jury convicted him of the lesser crime of culpable homicide. Sentence was deferred in order for the court to obtain reports about Rogerson's character. During earlier proceedings, Rogerson admitted stabbing Cairney during a fracas at Bruce Street, Plean, on December 22, 2012. He had earlier tried to plead guilty to the lesser crime of culpable homicide - but the Crown rejected his plea. The High Court in Dundee heard that Rogerson had rowed with neighbour Simon Blair in the street in the early hours of December 22. Mr Blair had called round Leon to confront Rogerson - who then ran from his house wielding a massive knife. Giving evidence in his own defence, Rogerson said he had grabbed a kitchen knife from a block and stormed out the back door during the incident. He told the court: "I went out to the side of the house. I opened the side gate and when I did that they came flying in. It was Leon Cairney and Simon Blair. I had the knife in my right hand. We started fighting and he was hitting me on the side of the head and I started stabbing him. It stopped when he let me go and fell backwards. The court had also heard from a pathologist who said that Leon had been stabbed 11 times - the blows included four wounds to the chest and one in the abdomen. A jury of eight men and seven women took two hours and 50 minutes to find him guilty of culpable homicide. Members of Leon's family broke down in tears and stormed out of the court when the verdict was read. Leon's 21-year-old fiancee, Danielle Stillie, the mother of Leon' s two-year-old daughter Katie, said: "He was just a loving gentle giant. Rogerson has taken away the best dad and fiance ever. He's taken away the chance for Katie to know her dad. We can tell her all about her dad - but she will never know him. I wanted Rogerson guilty of murder and to get life. I hope he rots in a cell, it's what he deserves. Passing sentence, Lord Kinclaven also said: "There is nothing that the court can say or do to reduce the impact of the death of Leon Cairney. The family are clearly devastated by their loss.