Charity worker’s ex-partner denies murder charge
A charity worker who was killed by her former partner was stabbed in the jugular veins, a court heard yesterday.
Alyson Watt was attacked by Gary Brown at her home in Ralston, Paisley, on June 2 last year.
Former soldier Brown went on trial yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow. He denies murder.
The 55 year-old admits killing Bernardo’s worker Miss Watt, but claims he was suffering from an “abnormality of the mind” at the time.
Advocate depute Michael Meehan started the trial by reading a joint minute, which details facts agreed by the prosecution and Brown’s legal team.
This included information of Miss Watt’s injuries.
She had 42 separate stab wounds on her body.
Mr Meehan said: “Two stab wounds on the neck had damaged the jugular veins.
“This would have resulted in rapid, profuse blood loss and ultimately death.”
There was further evidence of “defensive” injuries.
The trial was later told Brown, of Uddingston in Lanarkshire, had latterly been an engineer with Scottish Power.
Jurors heard he had previously been in the armed forces and was serving at the time of the Falklands War.
A colleague at Scottish Power went on to recall meeting with Brown weeks before the alleged murder.
Colin Bingham said he went to the Counting House pub, in Glasgow, with him. It was there Brown spoke about a phone “to do with the girl he was together with at the time”.
He had apparently “read messages” on it.
Mr Meehan asked Mr Bingham: “Did he indicate to you what the content was?”
Mr Bingham replied: “He asked me what did I think a drunken kiss was. “I said it was more than a peck. “He did not really go into great detail.
“Gary had asked me about a drunken kiss and he said he had read that from the messages on the phone.
“He was just Gary. He was not angry, just a topic of conversation... asking a pal a question.”
Brian McConnachie QC, defending, later asked Mr Bingham if he was aware that Brown had been in a relationship at the time. The witness said he knew. The advocate asked: “A lady from Paisley?” and Mr Bingham replied: “Yes.”
Mr McConnachie went on to ask the witness how Brown seemed to feel about the lady in question and he replied: “Quite taken by her.”
The court also heard yesterday that Brown was arrested the day after the killing close to a quarry in Lockerbie, in Dumfries and Galloway.
He faces others charges including an accusation that he attempted to kill a 16-year-boy at the house in Paisley on the same day of the alleged murder.
The trial, before Lord Summers, continues.