Court told accused ‘presented a knife’

A WOMAN accused of murdering a Tayside motherof-three pulled out a knife and asked if she should get “something done about” her, a court has heard.

Kimberley MacKenzie, 37, was allegedly murdered at a flat in Montrose’s Market Street on October 27 last year.

Steven Jackson, 40, and Michelle Higgins, 29, are accused of her murder.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Philip Keilloh, 35, told how his partner Penny Verrall “went mental” when she found out Miss MacKenzie — a close friend — had slept with her son Danny Verrall, who was aged 19 at the time.

Mr Keilloh said his partner felt Miss MacKenzie had “betrayed her” by sleeping with her son on October 26 2015.

When Miss MacKenzie tried to approach Ms Verrall in Montrose the following day, Philip told how he denied her entry when she knocked on the door. Mr Keilloh said his partner told him: “If that’s her, get her away.”

Later that day, Mr Keilloh said he went to Jackson’s flat in Market Street with Ms Verrall as he wanted to try to get a legal high from Jackson to “calm” his partner down.

However, when they buzzed his flat on this occasion, Higgins answered the door.

Mr Keilloh said: “We may have told her what had happened with Kim and Danny. I think she may have asked if we wanted something done about Kim. I think at that point she presented a small knife.”

Philip said he turned around and made a cut-throat action with his hand while shaking his head, stressing he didn’t want that done and then said he punched his hand several times. He elaborated what he meant by saying: “Not killed, but just to be beaten up.” A package containing a knife was shown to Philip in the courtroom, who confirmed it was the same knife he had seen Higgins holding. Prosecutors claim Jackson and Higgins murdered Miss MacKenzie, striking her with a hammer, machete and knife or similar items and dismembering her body. Jackson, of Market Street, is further charged with two separate drugs offences as well as having a machete in a public place between November 3 and 4 last year. Higgins, of Lower Craigo Street, also allegedly had a knife in Montrose High Street on October 27. The pair deny all the charges and the trial continues.

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