Blood spatters ‘show murder accused was within 3ft of victim’
A MURDER trial yesterday heard a man accused of killing an oil worker may have been within a yard or two of the victim for blood splatters to be transferred on to his top.
Callum Davidson, Steven Dickie and Tasmin Glass – the dead man’s girlfriend – deny murdering Steven Donaldson on June 6 to 7 last year.
At the High Court in Edinburgh, forensic scientist Sarah Milne was questioned over blood spots from Mr Donaldson having been found on a T-shirt belonging to Davidson.
She said a line of blood splatters was found on the lower back part of the garment and one spot on the front.
Glass, 20, Dickie, 23, and Davidson, 23, allegedly arranged to meet Mr Donaldson at the Peter Pan Play Park in Kirriemuir, Angus, before assaulting him ‘whereby he was incapacitated’, then transporting him to the car park at the nearby Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve.
The charge says they then repeatedly struck him on the head and body with a knife, baseball bat or similar instruments, and on the head and neck with ‘an unknown, heavy, bladed instrument’ and set fire to him and his car. The 27-year-old’s body and burnt-out BMW were discovered at 5am on June 7.
On Wednesday, the court heard that a T-shirt belonging to Davidson was analysed by Miss Milne and she concluded that blood spots belonging to the victim were found.
Yesterday, under cross-examination by Ian Duguid, QC, for Dickie, Miss Milne was questioned over the likely proximity of Davidson to the victim.
She replied that blood marks were measured to determine how close a person was to a force of dispersal.
In this case, she estimated Davidson was around three to six feet from the source of the blood.
During re-examination by prosecutor Ashley Edwards, QC, Miss Milne was asked if Mr Donaldson’s blood could have got on to Davidson’s T-shirt as a consequence of the accused being near his alleged victim at the time the deceased was struck. She replied: ‘Yes, that could explain it, yes.’
Mr Duguid also quizzed Miss Milne over tests carried out on Dickie’s motorbike, leathers, helmet, boots
‘He did not see any weapon’
and gloves. He asked if any of Mr Donaldson’s blood or DNA had been found on the items. She confirmed that no trace of either was detected.
The court also heard that, with the exception of a bicycle and Davidson’s T-shirt, none of Mr Donaldson’s DNA was found in the property where Davidson was living at the time.
A report by Miss Milne was read out to the jury, in which Dickie told police Davidson assaulted Mr Donaldson with a weapon which had ‘something sharp’ attached to it.
Jonathan Crowe, for Davidson, read out the information from the report. The court heard Miss Milne wrote that Dickie told officers that Davidson had taken the alleged victim to a beauty spot in Kirriemuir.
The report said: ‘He told him he had taken Steven Donaldson to Kinnordy Nature Reserve and he used some sort of bat thing with something sharp at the end.’
In the report, compiled with information provided by police, she wrote she was told both Dickie and Davidson went to see Mr Donaldson at a play park in Kirriemuir.
The report read: ‘Steven Dickie denied any involvement. However, he told police he walked with Callum Davidson to the Peter Pan Play Park as Callum Davidson wanted to speak to Steven Donaldson and whilst there Callum Davidson lunged into the driver’s window of Steven Donaldson’s motor vehicle. He did not see any weapon.’
But judge Lord Pentland told the jury that what Mr Crowe had read out was not admissible and could not be used in their considerations.
Dickie and Davidson face other charges including assaults and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
The case continues.