Former soldier who murdered mental health nurse in Northampton sent back to jail after taking knife to pub

John Andrew Ralph, claimed he had been “treated badly” by staff at the Buddy Mulligan’s public house in the Scottish capital’s city centre and after leaving the premises returned carrying a large knife.

The now 58-year-old moved to Scotland after he was released from prison in 2017, following a 13 year stint behind bars for murdering a mental health nurse on a night out in Northampton in 2001.

In the latest offence, Ralph was seen staring at staff through a window of the pub before he dropped the kitchen knife on the ground and picked it up before placing it in his waistband at around 1.55am on December 24, 2023.

The knife thug claimed he did not intend to harm anyone and had returned to the pub because he wanted to “make his mark” by scrawling comments on the front door and vandalising the lock. The former squaddie was under the influence of alcohol at the time and said he had changed his mind after seeing members of the cleaning staff were still inside the premises, as reported by our sister paper The Edinburgh Evening News.

The concerned employees reported the incident to the police and Ralph was later arrested and charged after he was traced to his flat just yards from the premises.

Ralph pleaded guilty to possessing the knife when he appeared from custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and was remanded in custody pending reports.

He returned to the dock for sentencing on Thursday November 6, when Sheriff Kevin McCarron sentenced him to a 30 month jail term.

Ralph was previously caged for more than 13 years after he was found guilty of murdering mental health nurse Mark Corbridge by stabbing him to death in Northampton.

The killer had been out drinking with friends when he met the group of medics who were celebrating one of them becoming a father in Abington Street in April 2001.

Ralph got into an argument with Mr Corbridge, aged 26, before pulling out a six centimetre knife and repeatedly plunging the blade into the neck of the psychiatric nurse severing his carotid artery.

The killer, who was busking on the streets at the time, denied he had been in the area and tried to destroy his blood-covered clothing but was snared by DNA and CCTV evidence.

He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 16 years in custody which was later reduced to 13 years and 197 days following a six day trial at Northampton Crown Court in March 2002.

Ralph was released in 2017 and after moving to Scotland he had attempted to reinvent himself as a fitness instructor and nutritional advisor.