Court hears neighbour tried to stop bleeding

A woman's told a murder trial that she heard a neighbour shouting "Help me, I've been stabbed.”

Seconds later 50-year-old Paul Kelly, who lived across the road, turned up at her front door bleeding heavily.

38 year-old Julie Miller was giving evidence at the trial of 47 year-old Jason Cowan who denies breaking into Paul's home with intent to steal and murdering him.

Cowan had lodged a special defence which claims he was suffering from diminished responsibility at the time.

Prosecutor Greg Farrell read the jury at the High Court in Glasgow an agreed statement of facts which said: “On June 15, 2019 Jason Cowan repeatedly struck Paul Kelly on the body with a knife causing his death.”

Marine ornithologist Ms Miller said in evidence that she was in bed before 10am on the Saturday morning when she heard a man shouting.

She told the jury: “He was shouting 'Help me, I've been stabbed'. I went to get towels. He was hunched over. I could see blood. He was in trouble there was a lot of it.

“I tried to find out where he was injured and who had done this to him.”

Mr Farrell asked her: “Did he say who had done this,” and she replied: “He did say 'Help me I think I'm dying' a couple of times.”

The court heard that Ms Miller's partner Calum Campbell, 28, phoned 999 and he then took over trying to help Paul, who was just inside their front door.

Civil servant Mr Campbell said he was told by the 999 operator to remove the red fleece Paul was wearing and press a towel to the wound to his stomach area.

Mr Farrell asked the witness: “What did you do,” and he replied: “I was trying to hold a towel against his wound across his stomach. There was a lot of blood. I could see a very deep wound. I could see his intestines.”

He added: “I was talking to him the whole time telling him not to worry and it would be okay. I asked him what happened and he said 'I was broken into', but he didn't say anymore.”

Various attempts were made by medical staff to resuscitate Paul but at 10.40am on June 15, 2019.

Cowan also denies attempting to defeat the ends of justice by changing his clothing attempting to clean blood off a knife and disposing of the knife.

The court heard that CCTV cameras traced some of Cowan's movements from before 7am when he left the block of flats where he lived in Great Western Road until he returned there around 10.50am.

He was seen walking past bins at the back of Knightswood shopping centre at 10.23am with two plastic bags. Minutes later in Tesco's he had only one plastic bag when he bought a can of Coke.

Constable Craig Conway told the jury that he and a colleague were sent out on June 16, 2019 at 5pm to search the bins.

He said in one bin they found four rubber gloves and a black-handled Sabatier knife which was bloodstained.

Mr Farrell asked him: “What size was the blade,” and the police officer replied: “About seven or eight inches long.”

The jury also saw footage of Paul walking to a chemist in Alderman Road, Knightswood, and then leaving the shop at 9.39am.

The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.