The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Killer who tortured ‘pour soul’ is jailed
ASSAULT: Victim was bound and repeatedly struck with a bat and hammer as well as having boiling water poured over him
A killer who subjected his victim to a prolonged ordeal of torture was jailed for nine years yesterday.
Mark Anderson, 51, trussed up Nigel Poustie and beat him with a baseball bat and hammer and scalded him with boiling water before his death.
A judge told Anderson: “Over a protracted period of time on July 3 and 4 last year you subjected Mr Poustie to the most appalling attack, which can only be described as torture.”
“At various times you placed a pillow case over his head.
“You poured boiling water, scalding him, resulting in injuries to his face,” said Lord Boyd of Duncansby.
The judge said at the High Court in Edinburgh: “One can only imagine the fear he experienced during this time.”
Lord Boyd told Anderson that nothing could excuse the violence he had meted out to his 49-year-old victim.
The judge said: “I have to say I regard the violence used over a protracted period of time very concerning.”
Lord Boyd told Anderson that he would have jailed him for 12 years if he had been convicted of the crime after a trial.
Anderson had originally faced a murder charge but pled guilty to a reduced charge of culpable homicide.
Anderson attacked the former DIY store worker at his home in Thurso Crescent, in Dundee, after vowing: “I’ll f ****** torture him.”
Advocate depute Adrian Cottam said Mr Poustie was considered by some to be “a poor soul” who had struggled with alcohol and whose life took a dramatic downturn following his mother’s death.
He said Anderson was suspected to be involved in the sale of drugs and Mr Poustie had told friends that he had previously asked him to store diazepam tablets for him.
The prosecutor said: “It was the discovery of missing diazepam tablets and the deceased’s involvement in same which ultimately led to the assault and death of Mr Poustie.”
Anderson had found his victim at a relative’s home and Mr Poustie went with him to Anderson’s flat where his killer turned aggressive.
A witness said Anderson became “irate” and began shouting at him over the loss of drugs. He bound his victim’s hands and feet with cable ties and sat him on the chair.
He repeatedly punched him to the head leaving him bleeding and called for weapons to be brought to him. He repeatedly struck Mr Poustie on the knees with a bat and hammer.
Mr Cottam said: “The deceased repeatedly begged the accused to stop what he was doing. However the accused stated that the deceased had betrayed him and that he would ‘take what was given to him’. He continued to strike him. The deceased was crying out in pain.”
The advocate depute said that at times Anderson put a pillow case over his victim’s head and claimed this was because he wanted to “f ****** kill” him when he looked at his face.
Anderson told a woman to boil a kettle of water and then poured boiling water over his victim’s head.
Mr Poustie was later seen out in the street injured, bleeding, disorientated and stumbling about. He collapsed on Charleston Drive and an ambulance was called. He was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Pathologists took the view that although the victim had underlying problems, including heart disease, these alone were not responsible for his death.
Police recovered a claw hammer, which had spots of blood on it, from Anderson’s home. These provided a DNA match with Mr Poustie.
Defence counsel Mark Stewart said Anderson had shown “genuine remorse and sorrow” for what had happened. He added: “I am asked to publicly offer his sincerest apologies to the family.”
Mr Stewart said the men had been friends and Mr Poustie was a visitor to Anderson’s home.
He said: “The accused did not for a minute perceive the consequences of what happened. When the deceased left the accused’s house, the accused genuinely believed he was not in any danger of serious harm.”