Steven Greig, 47, of Dundee, must serve a minimum period of 16 years before becoming eligible for parole. 

He was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday following an earlier trial at the High Court in Dundee. 

Greig had previously been jailed for five years and four months in January 2023 after he admitted attacking 54-year-old Mark Ward, who suffered catastrophic brain injuries and was left severely disabled. 

But when Mr Ward died from his injuries almost year later, crown counsel instructed that Greig should be indicted for murder. 

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office, said: “This is a rare situation where someone has already previously been convicted of a crime and is prosecuted again under the same circumstances but for a different crime. 

“As prosecutors, we have worked hard to deliver justice for Mark Ward and his family in what have been particularly traumatic circumstances for them since the assault in April 2022. Our thoughts remain with them at this time. 

“Steven Greig’s appalling actions robbed a much-loved family man of his life following a shocking attack. He will now serve a lengthy prison sentence for his crime.”

Witnesses saw Greig and Mr Ward involved in an altercation on a grassy embankment in Dundee in April 2022. CCTV footage showed the accused repeatedly kicking his victim while he was on the ground. 

Mr Ward was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee where it was discovered he had a significant injury to back of his head and left eye and had suffered severe blood loss. He later required life-saving surgery to relieve pressure on the right side of his brain. 

The victim subsequently relied on round-the-clock nursing care and was unable to properly speak or digest food due to the severity of his disabilities. In October 2022, he was transferred from hospital to the Centre for Brain Injury rehabilitation, where he was assessed as being “severely cognitively impaired”. 

Mr Ward, then aged 55, died at Ninewells Hospital in April 2023 – exactly 364 days after the attack and three months after Greig had been sentenced on the initial charge. 

Following a post-mortem which found a direct link between the assault and Mr Ward’s death, the matter was reported to Crown Counsel who decided that Greig should be indicted on a charge of murder.