Smell of torso was ‘almost unbearable’

Kimberley MacKenzie, 37, is said to have been killed at a flat on Montrose’s Market Street on October 27 2015.

Steven Jackson, 40, and Michelle Higgins, 29, are accused of murdering Miss MacKenzie by striking her with a hammer, machete and knife.

Inspector Marc Lorente, 43, told the High Court in Glasgow yesterday that he visited Jackson’s flat on Market Street in the early hours of November 5 2015.

Insp Lorente said he wanted to make an assessment of the scene.

After exploring the flat wearing a full forensic suit, Insp Lorente moved into the common close.

He told the court: “I approached two wheelie bins. As I lifted the lid I found a square package. It was apparently the only item in the bin.

“I thought the smell became significantly stronger.

“It was disproportionately heavy for the size of the package.”

Insp Lorente touched the package before he opened it.

He said: “I was of the opinion I was looking at a human torso.

“The smell was almost unbearable for the officers standing nearby.”

Insp Lorente called the police control room and asked them to make sure any bin collections for the day were cancelled and that all bins in the area were taped off.

He told the court of several potential sightings of blood that he had previously observed in Jackson’s flat. He said there was poor light in the property, so he used his torch to have a better look around. Insp Lorente said he then entered the bathroom, adding: “What struck me was the smell of cleanliness in the bathroom. “Given the apparent chaotic lifestyle Mr Jackson led, it stood out. The bath, toilet and sink looked immaculate.” Prosecutors claim Miss MacKenzie was dismembered using a saw, knives and a screwdriver or similar instruments. It is further alleged that her head and other body parts were put inside a rucksack and case and concealed in a shower cubicle. Jackson and Higgins deny all the charges and the trial continues.

A POLICE officer told a trial of the moment he found the torso of a Tayside mum-ofthree who was allegedly murdered.

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