Cop probe into claim DJ posed as US killer was ‘paltry’ & inadequate
Sheriff demands Crown takes action and blasts amount of ‘time wasted’
THE trial of a DJ accused of posing as an infamous US killer has been hampered by a half-hearted police investigation, a court heard.
It was claimed the probe into Steven Rose was so “paltry” and inadequate that prosecutors had to step in.
Rose is alleged to have posed as killer Jeffrey Franklin to torment his ex Melissa Rodger during a year-long period of controlling and violent behaviour.
He allegedly sent her a package which appeared to be from Franklin, who killed his parents and seriously injured several of his siblings.
Franklin was 17 when he carried out the attacks with a hatchet, sledgehammer, rat-tail file and butcher’s knife.
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney said Melissa had given police a USB stick with “thousands of messages from over the period of the libel”.
He told the court: “The police went through the USB and then submitted a paltry amount of evidence from that – about eight pages. After that, I undertook to get the USB and it was passed to a colleague who then spent three days going through all of the messages.”
Sheriff Mark Stewart asked: “So, the problem here is caused by the police not doing their jobs properly?”, to which Mr Sweeney replied: “Yes.”
Mr Sweeney said he proposed to send the USB stick back to the police for them to do the job more thoroughly ahead of the pending trial at Perth Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Stewart said: “There has been a lot of time wasted. The Crown have to get a grip of it.
“Somebody at a senior level has to do something about it. I’m sorry, I know you are the messenger. I appreciate it’s not your fault.”
Rose, 43, of Paisley, allegedly chased Melissa with a baseball bat and threatened to kill her after accusing her of cheating on him.
He is alleged to have engaged in a course of abusive behaviour towards his partner in a variety of locations across Scotland between May 2019 and August 2020, including taking money from her.
He is accused of ransacking a room at her home in Auchterarder, Perthshire.
Rose is alleged to have seized her by the throat pinned her to a bed and tried to hit her and making death threats.
It is alleged that during July last year “he sent a package to her house in the name of serial killer Jeffrey Franklin”.
Rose denies the charge and a trial is scheduled towards the end of this year.