Man accused of double murder at cliff fall vigil
● Court appearance after death of cousins ● Family gathered after youth’s fall
A man has appeared in court accused of murdering two cousins at a family vigil for a teenager who had earlier plunged from cliffs.
Robert Stratton is accused of murdering David Sorrie and Julie Mccash at a house in Dundee.
The search for their relative Ralph Smith, 18, who fell from cliffs in Arbroath, continues.
A man has appeared in court accused of murdering two cousins at a family vigil for a teenager who is feared dead after plunging from cliffs.
Robert Stratton appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court accused of murdering David Sorrie, 32, and Julie Mccash, 43.
He faced a further charge of attempting to murder Wendy Mckinney during the incident as well as assaulting his partner Lee Kinney on various occasions that day.
It is understood they were found dead outside an address in Drumlanrig Drive, Dundee, at around 6:30am on Sunday.
They had been at the address for a family gathering after Julie’s nephew, Ralph Smith, 18, fell from cliffs in Arbroath on Saturday afternoon.
He is missing feared dead and searches for him along the Angus coastline were continuing last night.
Stratton, 42, of Drumlanrig Drive, Dundee, was detained on Sunday and charged with the two murders later that night.
He appeared in private on petition at Dundee Sheriff Court yesterday facing a total of four charges.
They allege that on various occasions on Sunday at an address on the same street as he lives in he assaulted his partner Lee Kinney, repeatedly seized her by the body and pushed and pulled her, pushed her against a wall, seized her neck, threw her to the ground, picked her up and carried her away all to her injury.
Stratton is then alleged to have murdered Julie Mccash by striking her on the body with a knife.
The 42-year-old is then alleged to have attempted to murder Wendy Mckinney by running towards her whilst brandishing two knives and attempting to strike her on the body with the knives.
Finally, Stratton is alleged to have murdered David Sorrie by running towards him while brandishing the knives and attempting to strike him with them on the body before he pursued him and struck him on the body, killing him.
Solicitor advocate Jim Laverty, for Stratton, made no motion for bail during a brief hearing.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC continued the case for further examination and remanded Stratton in custody meantime.
He is expected to appear in court again next week.
A large cordon was around the scene yesterday with a heavy police presence in the area as a forensic examination was carried out.
A blue forensics tent was erected on the road outside one property before being moved to another location nearby in the middle of the afternoon. Officers in white suits carried out their own investigations while locals were briefly allowed into the cordon to lay flowers.