Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
MURDER ACCUSED ‘ADMITTED‘ TO KILLING
Harrowing evidence surrounding dad’s death
The trial into the murder of Caldercruix dad- offour Mohammed Abu Sammour has heard the accused “confessed” to the killing while in jail.
Scott Pearson, 22, denies murdering the security supervisor by reversing over him in a van at a housing development in Newarthill. Former Barlinnie prisoner James Thomson, 27, this week claimed while giving evidence at the High Court in Glasgow that Pearson admitted “crushing” Mr Sammour, left, with the vehicle in the early hours of October 28.
Prosecutor Murdo McTaggart was questioning Thomson in reference to a police statement he gave in January.
He told Mr McTaggart: “I’m not a liar” when asked if he stood by his statement incriminating Pearson in the alleged murder.
A second acquaintance who was also cross- examined claimed Pearson admitted he “wasn’t sure” if he had run over Mr Sammour shortly after the incident.
Pathologist Dr Sharon Melmore revealed in court Mr Sammour had 83 injuries including fatal ones to his head, chest and pelvis.
She said his head injuries, including skull fractures, were “most likely due to being run over”.
A former prisoner has told jurors that the man accused of murdering Caldercruix dad- offour Mohammed Abu Sammour “confessed” to the killing while behind bars on remand.
James Thomson, 27, was quizzed on the stand by solicitors during the trial of 22- year- old Scott Pearson, who denies running over Mr Sammour at a Newarthill housing development last October.
It is alleged that Pearson, while acting with two others, repeatedly punched and kicked the 49-year-old, knocked him to the ground rendering him unconscious, then kicked and stamped on his head before reversing his works van over him.
Thomson, who was serving a sentence in Barlinnie while Pearson was on remand for murder, said they had a conversation one day at the facility’s football pitch near the gym.
Mr Thomson was asked who Pearson said was driving the van and said he could not remember.
He was reminded about a police statement he gave in January.
Prosecutor Murdo McTaggart said: “Does the statement say, ‘Scott Pearson told me that he was driving the van and crushed the man’?” and he replied, “Yes”.
The prosecutor then said: “Were you telling the truth?”, and he replied, “Yes”.
Defence QC Tony Graham asked Thomson: “Are you sure this conversation ever took place?” to which Thomson replied: “I’m not a liar.”
The court also heard that Mr Sammour, who worked as a security supervisor at the Torrance Gardens housing development, suffered injuries that could be consistent with being run over by his works van.
While giving evidence, pathologist Dr Sharon Melmore said that the cause of death was head, chest and pelvic injuries.
The jury at the High Court in Glasgow was told Mr Sammour had 83 injuries, including fractures to his face, skull and multiple rib fractures.
Mr McTaggart asked Dr Melmore: “What would have caused the skull fractures?,” and she replied: “They are most likely due to being run over.”
The prosecutor then said: “If we have heard evidence that Mr Sammour was assaulted and rendered unconscious before being hit with the vehicle, is there anything in your report that’s not consistent with that scenario?” The pathologist replied: “No.”
Defence QC Mr Graham said: “What we don’t have here is any indication that Mr Sammour was driven over,” and Dr Melmore replied: “There were no specific tyre marks.”
The court has heard that Pearson, Ryan Hunter, 28, and an 18- year- old who cannot be named for legal reasons, encountered Mr Sammour when they took a shortcut through a building site where he was working.
Hunter has already admitted the culpable homicide of Mr Sammour.
The trial also heard that Pearson had told a friend he thought he had reversed over the security guard before driving off in his works van.
Connor Payling, 18, a warehouseman, told the court that between 2am and 3.30am on October 28 last year, Pearson drove to his home in a van with Osprey marked on the side.
He said: “I told him, ‘get to f***’. It was a company van and I know Scott doesn’t work.
“He just drove away and came back between 4.30am and 5am without the van.
“I asked him where he had got the van from and he said they were heading up to Newarthill.
“He said they didn’t think there was anyone in the van but a man was sleeping.
“They rattled the window and the man got out the van and tried to defend himself.
“Scott said he was fighting with the man for about five minutes and knocked him out by punching him.”
Mr Payling added: “He told me they jumped in the van and he thought he reversed over the man, but he wasn’t sure.
“He was in that much shock he just drove away.”
The defence QC asked Mr Payling if he had given three versions of events to the police.
The witness said that was the case but added: “I’m telling the truth today.”
Mr McTaggart asked Payling: “Did he say what happened to the van?”
The witness said: “He just said he’d got rid of it.”
The court heard the van was found burnt out near to Burns Crescent, Newarthill.
Last week, the court was told Mr Sammour was already on the ground when the vehicle fatally struck him.
Police accident investigator Alan Stewart stated during evidence that, “in my experience of pedestrian knock-downs, he [Mr Sammour] could not have been standing”.
He continued: “Mr Sammour would have to have been in contact with the van and then trapped under it. It is likely he was lying on the ground near to the van as it started to reverse.”
The court heard that the Peugeot van had a low clearance of only 13cm.
Constable Stewart added: “Mr Sammour has become trapped and then pushed by the van across the gravel surface as it reversed.
“The trail of hair had been created as Mr Sammour’s head has been forced across the gravel.”
The trial before judge Lord Burns continues.
In my experience of pedestrian knock-downs, he could not have been standing