Fife culpable homicide duo await prison

Aman who ate a bowl of cereal after inflicting a fatal wound with his female accomplice on a man in his home has been jailed.

Jason Mooney, 27, and Lynn Kelly, 35, took 38-year-old Christopher Cowie’s life following a confrontation at his house in Golfdrum Street, Dunfermline, on October 15 2019.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the mother of one smashed a mirror over Mr Cowie’s head.

Mooney then grabbed a shard of glass from it and stabbed it into Mr Cowie’s knee causing him to bleed to death.

A jury heard how the pair did not get help for Mr Cowie who witnesses say spent his final moments pleading for help.

Instead, Mooney went into Mr Cowie’s kitchen and had some breakfast.

Yesterday, jurors did not convict Mooney and Kelly, of Dunfermline, of a charge of murdering Mr Cowie.

However, they found the duo guilty of the lesser charge of culpable homicide. The verdicts came on the second day of deliberations for jurors.

Both accused had denied murdering Mr Cowie.

The court heard how the pair had been at Mr Cowie’s home earlier in the evening.

Kelly and another woman were trying to buy drugs from another man but did not have enough cash to satisfy their needs.

Ms Kelly contacted Mr Cowie because she thought he would be able to lend her money.

She then left Mr Cowie’s home in Golfdrum Street to buy the narcotics.

However, she returned with Mr Mooney and there was an incident in which Mr Mooney assaulted Mr Cowie.

Graeme Jessop told jurors: “It is the Crown’s case that Jason Mooney had Christopher Cowie in a headlock and deliberately punched and stabbed Christopher Cowie with the glass in the left thigh.

“Lynn Kelly must have seen Jason Mooney with a Stanley blade during the incident.”

The court heard that in the moments before being stabbed, Mr Cowie accused Mooney of stealing his phone and Mooney admitted putting it in his pocket.

Mr Cowie asked him to leave but he did not. The men got into a struggle and Kelly stepped in and was caught by a punch.

Mooney started going “mental” and said: “I’m going to smash you.”

Witnesses saw him holding a Stanley blade towards Mr Cowie.

Mr Cowie told him to “put the ******* knife away”.

Kelly picked up a mirror and hit Mr Cowie over the head with it.

The mirror smashed. Mooney then struck him with a lamp. Mooney put him in a headlock and Kelly punched him.

Witnesses then saw a pool of blood on the floor.

Mr Cowie then pleaded for help but neither Mooney nor Kelly phoned for an ambulance.

Instead, they took items from his home – these included an Xbox games console, a laptop, a Kindle tablet, a hoover, watches, a holdall and bank cards.

Mooney also went away and made himself a bowl of cereal.

The court heard police later arrested the pair.

Mr Cowie’s mobile phone was in Mooney’s possession when he was arrested.

Other items such as watches were found in Mooney’s room at a hostel.

Mooney later told police he and Kelly had taken drugs on their way to the house.

Mooney claimed that he did not stab Mr Cowie and said the wound to his leg must have been accidental.

The court heard how Mr Cowie was found to have suffered numerous, recent blunt force injuries.

Embedded in his leg wound was the piece of glass.

Mooney also had injuries to his hand which were consistent with him holding a piece of glass.

Lord Beckett remanded the pair in custody.

He said a prison sentence is “inevitable”.

The two accused will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on May 5.

GUILTY: They appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh.