Battered to death on Christmas Day
Murder trial told Thomas, 43, was viciously attacked by his neighbour
A WITNESS told a murder jury yesterday that he saw a friend being brutally attacked on Christmas Day.
David McKinnon said accused David McDade punched Thomas Roberts on the head and face, then chased him when he tried to flee.
He said he followed them, then heard a “dull thumping sound” and saw McDade standing over Thomas, who was lying face down.
He said Thomas was “making gurgling noises like he was trying to mumble something, but it wasn’t words”.
Thomas, 43, died in hospital. McDade, 35, denies beating him to death.
David said the horrific incident happened after neighbour Thomas visited him at his flat in Balmore Road, Glasgow, for a drink.
He said McDade, who also lived nearby, turned up at his door “ranting and raving like a maniac”.
David said he sat with McDade to try to calm him down. He added: “Thomas came out twice to ask if I was OK and I told him to go back inside.”
David said McDade then became “even more enraged”. He told the jury: “He shouted, ‘What the f*** is he doing?’ and kicked the door in and shot in the house.
“By the time I got into the living room he was standing over the top of Thomas and punching him on the face and head.”
David said Thomas was trying to cover his head and face with his hands.
He said he told Thomas to go home to get away from McDade, but the accused chased after him and followed him into the close.
McDade is accused of kneeling on Thomas, punching, kicking and stamping on his body, striking his head on the floor and dragging him across the ground.
He denies murder, serious assault on David and pushing a police officer. The trial at the High Court in Dumbarton continues.