A DEVASTATED mum who vowed to stand by her killer son after he murdered his younger brother with a potato peeler heard today he had been sentenced to life.

Shamus McNama, 17, died in his mum Paula's arms moments after being stabbed in the collar bone by his sibling Jazzie Watson.

Today Jazzie, 20, was sentenced to 11 years and three months behind bars for the killing.

And shockingly, his mum has vowed to stand by him "100 per cent" – describing her youngest son's death as a "horrible and stupid tragedy".

Despite the fact Jazzie still hasn't been able to face his mum, she said she would always love him and longed for the time she can visit him in prison and cuddle him again.

"AJ was crying his heart out in court," said Paula.

"I looked at him and I whispered to him that I love him.

"He cannot face me yet and I don't think he will be able to until he is sentenced, because he is just so broken.

I still love him so much. He knows what he did was wrong, but his biggest punishment is losing his younger brother.

"I am there 100 per cent for him. His life will never be the same again and I still love him so much."

She added: "They loved each other and AJ never would have wanted that [to happen].

"He has got to carry this with him – that was his little brother and a mistake has cost him dearly.

"He knows what he did was wrong, but his biggest punishment is losing his younger brother."

Jailing Watson, Judge Neil Ford QC, the Recorder of Bristol, said: "It is plain that what you did was to act in an extremely violent way with a knife in an explosion of temper.

"In the circumstances where life is lost the impact is always enormous. You have taken the life of your half-brother, who you loved.

"You have deprived your mother of a son and your siblings of a brother. You have also added to your own mother's grief by ruining your own life. The anguish which you have caused is immeasurable."

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Paula said the boys were "inseparable" from a young age and AJ would change his younger brother's nappies.

She said they had always been brought up together, alongside their brother Tyrone, 26, and sisters Elischa, 28, and Alannah, 5.

Paula said: "Shamus always looked up to AJ and if Shamus was in trouble, AJ was there through thick and thin.

"They were always on their bikes together and had the same group of friends.

"They were together all the time and inseparable."

The grieving mum said the brothers had been out to a party together the night before the murder on February 28 this year.

When labourer Shamus returned home with a friend she got into a row with him and told him to leave the house.

She said Shamus had gone to shut the door during their row and she had seen him raise his hand and told him not to hit her – even though she didn't think he would.

The grandmother-of-eight said AJ overheard and a fight started between the brothers, with AJ trying to restrain Shamus.

As Paula and Shamus' friend struggled to separate the pair, the fight continued downstairs, and Paula thought Shamus had a pair of nail scissors in his hand.

She said trainee electrician AJ then took the kitchen peeler knife and stabbed his brother before running out of the house while she was trying to call the police to get them to break up the fight.

Paula, who worked in hospital catering, said Shamus remained in her arms and she screamed for help and tried CPR in order to save her son.

She said: "I just could not believe what had happened..

"There wasn't even a lot of blood, but because of the way the knife went in, he died there in my arms."

Police arrived and Shamus was taken to hospital while officers searched for AJ who handed himself in after his mum told him what had happened.

Paula added: "He would not believe it until I told him. AJ told me 'I love you and I am so sorry'.

"He could not say anything else. He was choking and he was just crying uncontrollably."

Since Shamus' death, his daughter has been born, and his sister Elischa has had a baby, whom she has named after him.

Paula hopes that AJ would soon be able to see her again and all she wanted was to hug him again – even though that would be on a prison visit.

Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingam said: "Shamus's mother Paula heard them and came into the bedroom to confront Shamus because he had used her car without permission.

"They had an argument and he gave her some money for the petrol. The argument continued and it became quite loud and eventually AJ took it upon himself to go for Shamus because of the way he was speaking to their mother."

A memorial walk took place after his death, attended by 200 people and Paula said the procession went around Horfield Prison, where AJ was remanded in custody, as a show of support.

Watson, of Lockleaze, Bristol, had earlier admitted murder at Bristol Crown Court.

But Paula added: "He made a mistake while he was high on drink and drugs and it is something that he can never take back.

"That is a life sentence in itself."

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