Teen ‘told police he gave pills to tragic girl’

A MAN accused of killing a schoolgirl by supplying her with ecstasy admitted to the police he had given her pills, a court heard yesterday.

Prosecutors claim Callum Owens killed 13-year-old Grace Handling in June 2018.

The 19-year-old denies the culpable homicide of Grace at his home in Irvine, Ayrshire, on June 28, 2018, by supplying her with ecstasy, and charges of supplying the drug.

Yesterday Detective Sergeant Euan Bell told the High Court in Glasgow that Owens was taken to Saltcoats police station as a witness the evening after Grace’s body was found in the living room of his home.

Mr Bell said he arrived at the police station around 10pm and spoke to Owens who told him: ‘I sold her the pills, no wait I didn’t sell the pills, I gave her them.’

‘On the autistic spectrum’

The officer said the comment came after he took Owens’ mobile phone from him and added: ‘I thought he was deleting messages.’

The court heard that Owens admitted during a police interview that he and Grace had been at a property in Arran Place in Irvine on the night of the incident.

During the interview, Owens also said he had carried out CPR on Grace but had not sought any further medical help for her.

Owens was then asked if he had considered phoning 999 but he replied: ‘No comment.’

Under cross-examination from defence QC Donald Findlay, Mr Bell said he had been told Owens was ‘on the autistic spectrum’.

Pathologist Dr John Williams told the court that the cause of Grace’s death was ecstasy intoxication.

The trial, before judge Lord Matthews, continues.