A MAN who killed his best friend while in a drug-induced frenzy has been jailed after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Musician Samuel Donley, 20, was imprisoned for six years and eight months for the killing of his bandmate Liam Miller, who was stabbed multiple times with a kitchen knife.

Donley also attacked a passer-by who tried to intervene and was given a concurrent sentence of 32 months after admitting to wounding Theophilos Theophilou, 60.

The Northern Echo: Liam Miller

Liam Miller was killed by his best friend.

The attack took place at Donley’s home in Hamilton Drive, York, in July this year and Leeds Crown Court heard Donley, then 19, repeatedly attacked his bandmate while having a “bad trip” on the drug NBOMe – also known as N-bomb - which only became illegal last year.

Mr Miller, from Terrington, near Malton, was found lying on the ground by Mr Theophilou, who tried to help but Donley then chased and attacked him.

Alerted by the noise, alarmed neighbours intervened – one kept Donley inside his house while another attempted to help Liam with first-aid.

The court both Donley and his victim had been close friends who had decided to experiment with the hallucinogenic drug.

Donley later said he believed he was stabbing a skull. “He felt like he was in a dream and he needed to do that - to stab the skull - in order to get back into the real world,” said prosecutor Richard Wright QC.

Defence barrister Nicholas Lumley QC read a letter written to Judge Peter Collier QC by Donley which said: "No outcome could possibly be worse than knowing my best friend, who I adored, has gone and I will regret that for the rest of my life."

It continued: "I loved Liam and I will never again have such a close friend who meant as much to me as he did.

"I only hope I can take what has happened to Liam and use it to teach people about the dangers of drugs in future to stop this from happening ever again."