Scot went shopping as victim lay dying
Court hears McVicar blew £3000 on designer gear after raid terror
A SCOT accused of killing a grandfather during a robbery went on a spending spree as his alleged victim lay dying, a court heard yesterday.
Andrew McVicar is on trial on charges of manslaughter, robbery and possession of an imitation firearm.
He and co-accused Colin Garrod are accused of ambushing Tim Smith, his wife and friend Glenn Mottram and his family outside a property last March.
Tim, 57, hit his head on a wall when he was pushed to the ground by two men in balaclavas. He died the following day. A third man, 28-year-old Jamie Caborn, is accused of possessing criminal property, namely £10,000 cash.
On the first day of the trial, prosecutors told Basildon Crown Court that on the day after the robbery in Hullbridge, Essex, McVicar blew thousands of pounds on designer clothes at a nearby shopping centre.
The following day, he drove home to Scotland for a second spree in Livingston.
Outlining the robbery on March 19, prosecutor Christine Agnew told jurors that Tim and his wife had been given a lift to Glenn’s house, a short distance from their home.
Agnew said when the group arrived at the property, they spotted two men wearing balaclavas, one of them holding what appeared to be a gun.
Jurors heard how the masked men rounded the group up and ordered them to enter the house.
Tim was at the back of the line and was pushed by one of the men, it was claimed.
He sustained catastrophic head injuries when he tripped and fell as a result of the shove, hitting his head on a low brick wall.
It is alleged that the two masked
He said he’d been involved in a robbery and had not meant for anyone to die PROSECUTOR
perpetrators were McVicar, 33, and Garrod.
Agnew said on the first shopping spree on March 20, McVicar paid in cash for almost £3000 worth of designer clothes.
On March 21, the prosecutor said, McVicar contacted Caborn and asked him to rent a hire car and drive him to Scotland for the second spree.
She said McVicar agreed to pay for the hire car, as well as giving Caborn the rest of his week’s wages.
Agnew added that the pair spent £700 in cash on clothes, both purchased new iPhones and McVicar bought an engagement ring for Caborn so he could propose to his girlfriend in Essex.
It is also alleged that McVicar handed Caborn a bag containing £10,000 and that Caborn knew it was “from something dodgy”.
The prosecutor told the court about Garrod’s spending in Essex.
She said: “On the day after the incident, Garrod was seen at a bank and deposited £320 in cash. The next day, he deposited £440. The following day, he deposited £770 in cash.”
McVicar was tracked down in his hometown of Harthill, Lanarkshire, 11 days after the robbery in an operation involving Scots and Essex police.
Agnew said he confessed about his part in a robbery to his cousin in Scotland before he was arrested.
She said: “He stated he had been involved in a robbery with those he worked with. He said he had not meant for anyone to die.”
McVicar and Coborn, of Basildon, and Garrod, 50, of Southend, deny the charges against them. The trial continues.