Nightclub-goer ‘was thrown over canal bridge to his death’

A lifeguard has told a murder trial he saw two men throw another man over a bridge into a canal and then walk away.

Cameron Binnie, 19, was giving evidence at the trial of Mark Munro, 31, from Denny and James Robertson, 27, from Pitlochry.

They deny murdering Russell Robertson, 27, by pushing him over railings at Bainsford Bridge, Falkirk, into the Forth and Clyde Canal on 29 May,

It is alleged that they repeatedly punched Mr Robertson, from Falkirk, on the hands and prised his fingers from the bridge railing

Yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow Mr Binnie told prosecutor Alan Cameron that he and some friends were waiting at a bus stop near the bridge after a night out at the Warehouse nightclub.

He said it was around 3:20am and they were texting friends and taxi firms trying to get a lift home when he saw three men he thought were “mucking about” on the bridge

Mr Binnie told the jury: “It looked like play fighting. One of the men had another man in a headlock. I thought it was pals just mucking about.”

The lifeguard said he changed his mind when he saw the two men grab the other man’s legs.

He added: “I just saw them lifting his legs. It looked to me that they were trying to put him over into the water.

“I saw them either side of him trying to get his hands off the railing. He was over the barrier and hanging on the railing.”

Mr Binnie said the man went into the water and the two other men walked away towards Falkirk town centre.

He added: “I thought he had fallen into the water. I ran up to see what had happened with my friend Liam Sutherland.

“We checked the water to see if there was any sign of movement – there wasn’t.” Mr Binnie told the court he was unable to identify any of the men he saw that night.

The court heard he gave three statements and did not mention in any of them he had seen hands being prised from the railings of the bridge.

Defence counsel Derek Ogg QC, representing Munro, asked Mr Binnie: “In the statement you gave in the early hours there is no mention anywhere of you saying you saw someone’s hands being prised off the rail, is it because you didn’t see it?” He replied: “I’ve maybe been influenced by social media.”

Mr Ogg added: “You gave three statements to the police with no mention of hands on railings. The only rational explanation is that you never saw such a thing, isn’t that correct,” and Mr Binnie replied: “Yes.”

The trial continues.