Trio accused of murdering man in brutal attack

Three alleged to have stabbed oil worker before setting him on fire

Prosecutors believe an Angus man found dead at a nature reserve had been repeatedly beaten with a heavy bladed weapon and then set on fire.

Further details emerged yesterday of the charges facing three people accused of murdering Arbroath man Steven Donaldson earlier this month.

They are accused of arranging to meet the 27-year-old oil worker at the Peter Pan children’s playpark in Kirriemuir before beating and stabbing him.

Tasmin Glass, 19, and Callum Davidson and Steven Dickie, both 23, all of Kirriemuir, made a second appearance in private at Forfar Sheriff Court in connection with the death and pled not guilty to murder.

Mr Donaldson’s body was found in the car park at Loch of Kinnordy in the early hours of Thursday June 7, sparking a manhunt which led to a two-mile cordon and no-fly zone being thrown around the popular nature reserve.

It is alleged the trio transported him there and renewed their attack, striking him on the head and body with a knife and then setting fire to his body and BMW car.

A teenager and two men from Kirriemuir have appeared in court accused of arranging to meet an oil worker at a children’s playpark before murdering him.

Prosecutors allege they battered and stabbed him, transported him to a nature reserve and renewed the attack and then set him on fire.

Tasmin Glass, 19, Callum Davidson, 23, and Steven Dickie, 23, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday in connection with the death of Steven Donaldson at the Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve near Kirriemuir.

He was found dead in the beauty spot’s car park at around 5am on Thursday June 7.

It is alleged the trio arranged to meet Mr Donaldson, from Arbroath, at the Peter Pan playpark in Kirriemuir before repeatedly striking him on the leg and body with a knife or similar instrument and striking him on the head with an “unknown heavy bladed instrument”.

They are then said to have transported him to the nature reserve where prosecutors say they continued to assault him by repeatedly striking him on the head and body with a knife.

It is alleged they then set fire to Mr Donaldson’s BMW car and Mr Donaldson himself, murdering him.

All three appeared in private on petition accused of the 27-year-old’s murder.

Davidson and Dickie also faced charges of breach of the peace, while Davidson faced an additional charge of assault.

None of the accused made a plea to the charges during brief, separate hearings.

Sheriff Jillian Martin-brown fully committed them for trial and remanded them in custody pending further court dates being set.

The discovery of Mr Donaldson’s body shocked the Angus community and led to a major police investigation.

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to assist with his funeral costs.

Almost £1,000 has been raised through a Justgiving page set up by Fraser Evans.

The crowdfunding page states: “It is with very heavy and broken heart this page has been put in place.

“We friends have asked family for permission to set up this funding page for our much loved and missed son, brother, uncle and best friend Steven Donaldson, who was taken from us on June 7.

“We are raising funds to allow everyone who wishes to make contributions not to help but support the family with costs of anything they face in the coming hard weeks, including the funeral.”

jathomson@thecourier.co.uk

Steven Donaldson’s body was found in the car park at Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve, near Kirriemuir, earlier this month.