Pair in dock on murder charge
A young Wishaw man and Carluke teenager have been charged with the brutal murder of dad Terry Smith.
Police found critically i n j u red Ter r y , f rom Motherwell, at Doonside Tower in the town, last Tuesday morning.
The 30- year- old, who leaves behind an eightyear- old daughter, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
And on Thursday, Callum Andrews, 20, of Wishaw, and Connor Docherty, 19, of Carluke, both appeared in private at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
The men face charges of murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
They made no plea and were held in custody, with both expected to appear in
drawer and informed them there was a stun gun in it.
“He said he had found it in the park. It was inside a black plastic bag. Aitken freely stated that he would ‘take this’ as he was not getting any of his family involved.
“He told officers he wished he had never picked it up.”
Aitken was jailed for three years in 2012 for a drugs offence, but his solicitor, Kevin Mccarron, said he had been out of trouble for a “significant” period of time. He is a full-time carer for his wife. Mr Mccarron said there was nothing “menacing or sinister” about the circumstances of the gun’s discovery and urged Sheriff Douglas Brown to accept his client’s explanation.
The lawyer added: “He had no idea this was an item which would be considered a firearm.
“Forensic reports point out that the stun gun’s two batteries needed replaced before it could be fired in the laboratory.
“In addition, the level of irritant spray was so low that the canister had to be punctured so a sample could be taken.”
Mr Mccarron pointed out that social workers had assessed Aitken as being suitable for unpaid community work and an electronic tagging order.
However, Sheriff Brown told Aitken: “This is a serious offence.
“You have a significant criminal record and only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”