Bailey Gwynne trial told of murder accused's laptop search
Police say the 16 year old accused searched for 'getting rid of someone annoying' on the internet
A laptop used by a teenager accused of murdering a schoolboy revealed an internet search for how to get rid of someone annoying'', a court has heard.
Bailey Gwynne, 16, died from a single stab wound after a fight at Cults Academy in Aberdeen last October.
A 16-year-old youth denies murder and is on trial at the city's High Court, where the jury heard from a forensic computer analyst.
Charles Bruce, 52, told the court he examined an Acer laptop handed to police by the youth's father the day after the alleged murder.
He explained how he recovered search terms - words typed into a search engine by a user - including knuckledusters UK'' and "knife merchant''.
He noted the search term "difference between a homicide and a murder'' on April 15 2015 and "illegal knives UK'' on August 13 that year.
The laptop examination revealed a search for "Aberdeen stabbings deaths per 1,000'' on September 27 and on October 7, the words "how to get rid of someone annoying'' were used in a search, the court heard.
The data was passed to the team investigating the alleged murder on October 28, Mr Bruce said. The court heard the laptop search also revealed a web address relating to a YouTube video with the title "14-year-old Bronx student stabs bully to death outside school''.
Mr Bruce was asked under cross-examination if he was aware the clip was a cartoon.
Defence counsel Ian Duguid QC went on to say the search for "how to get rid of someone annoying'' brought up an inquiry by a nine-year-old and responses such as "be mean''. Mr Duguid said: "It sounds like nobody followed through on these searches to see what they are.''
Mr Bruce said: "I was under the impression the inquiry team might be going through these.''
The youth is accused of striking Bailey on the body with a knife during a fight and being in possession of knives and two knuckledusters on occasions between August 1 2013 and the day of the alleged murder.
Day three of the trial also heard from forensic scientist Sarah Jones, 45, who said a swab of the youth's left hand bore blood that proved a match for Bailey's.
The blade of a knife recovered from a waste bin at the school also had blood stains that matched the victim, she said.