A MAN was given two life sentences in the High Court in Glasgow

yesterday by Lord McCluskey.

William Lewis, 22, of Clydeview Road, Greenock, had been found guilty

of the murder by stabbing of Mr John Macintyre and Mr Joseph McMenamin.

Mr Macintyre, 34, of Gabriel Street, died within seconds from a blow

to the body and Mr McMenamin, 32, of Darndaff Road, both Greenock, died

six weeks later.

Lewis's brother, Thomas, 24, also of Clydeview Road, was cleared of

the two murder charges. But he was convicted of assault and causing

malicious damage and was jailed for three years.

The jury had spent a night in a hotel before returning the verdicts.

The court had been told that violence flared at midnight on June 22

last when four cars were smashed with baseball bats in Darndaff Road,

Greenock, by the Lewis brothers and others. One of the cars, a BMW,

belonged to Mr McMenamin.

Witnesses told Mr Hugh Matthews, QC, prosecuting, that for three hours

there were outbreaks of violence. Mr McMenamin's friends blamed the

Lewis brothers and their friends for damaging the cars.

Both sides clashed in the street at 3am. William Lewis was seen

pulling two knives from his waistband and twirling them around in his

hands. He shouted: ''Get John O'Boy'', Mr Macintyre's nickname.

Mr Macintyre was seen at one point sitting on stairs, raising his

hands to the skies and pleading: ''Please God, let it end.'' Minutes

later he was chased by men armed with baseball bats. He collapsed later,

dying from stab wounds.

A witness said at one point there were 15 people running about the

street.

Mr McMenamin's girlfriend, Angela Cowan, 21, of Darndaff Road, said

she saw Mr McMenamin being slashed on the face then struck in the side

by the same man who ''plunged'' Mr Macintyre.

Mr McMenamin suffered wounds to his chest, groin, face, and scrotum.

He died on July 16 in Glasgow Victoria Infirmary.

Mr Macintyre had died almost immediately. His kidney vein and a main

artery to the heart had been severed.

Mid-way through the trial murder charges against Mr Robert McIntosh,

18, of Lincoln Road and his cousin, Mr Edward McIntosh, 31, of Clydeview

Road, both Greenock, were withdrawn.