Jury shown graphic images on first day of Claire Turnbull murder trial

Graphic images of a woman lying in a large pool of her own blood on her living room floor were shown to a jury on the first day of a murder trial today.

The shocking video footage and photographs showed 36-year-old Claire Turnbull lying on her back in the living room of a flat in Fife.

Prior to showing the images, advocate depute Bernard Eblett and judge Lady Scott advised jurors and people on the public benches in advance that they might find the material “distressing”.

Despite the warning Claire’s mum Heather remained in court, cradling her head in her hands and weeping as the video was played while her partner comforted her.

Aaron Donald, 28, and Laura McMurdo, 30, both from Blairhall near Dunfermline where Claire lived, deny murdering the single mum on 5 October last year.

They also deny attempting to pervert the course of justice by concealing a hammer believed to be the murder weapon and giving false evidence to police.

Donald has lodged special defences claiming he was suffering from a mental disorder and diminished responsibility at the time of the alleged killing.

He was allegedly subject to three different bail orders from Dunfermline Sheriff Court at the time of the alleged murder.

On the first day of the trial, recently retired PC David Matheson, 55, told how he and a colleague had found Claire’s body after other officers forced entry to the flat in response to a report by Donald’s father.

He said: “There was a female lying flat on her back with a large pool of blood around her neck. It was quite clear at that time that she was dead.

“At that point we just checked the rooms to make sure there was nobody in there. I looked around to find any kind of weapon that might have been used to cause the injuries to the female’s head but didn’t find anything.

“She was the only person there. She had one training shoe on her right foot, a black training shoe. I noticed one in the hallway next to the kitchen door that matched the one she was wearing.”

He said paramedics who arrived shortly afterwards checked for an output with pads on her body but there was no sign of life. He added: “They were of the same opinion as myself straight away.”

He said the flat was in a bit of a mess with a nearly empty Jack Daniels bottle and numerous cans of Strongbow lying about.

Under cross examination by Donald’s QC Bert Kerrigan PC Matheson confirmed he had phoned the accused’s father Richard Donald on the way to the scene.

He said: “Aaron had contacted him and said he’d hit someone on the head with a hammer.

“I asked his father what was he saying and he said that he thought he’d killed someone. I though his son had called him and told him that at that time but I now know that to be something different.”

Charles Weir, 39, from Dunfermline, who was Claire’s partner for two and a half years, told the jury she had a child who was staying with her mum Heather and was on Suboxone medication to help people with drug addiction.

On the morning of her death he said he had collected his methadone prescription from a pharmacy in Abbey View then took her into town to renew her prescription which had run out.

He said they didn’t succeed because Claire drank a can of Dragon Soup on the way, despite being warned she’d be breathalysed before being given her prescription. Instead he bought heroin and went to Carnegie Hall, an area not covered by CCTV cameras to take it.

He said they then bumped into the two accused outside Coady’s Bar and both accepted an invitation to go and see Donald’s new flat.

Donald and McMurdo bought a case of Strongbow, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a bottle of liqueur from Tesco’s on the way.

Back at the flat he said Donald and McMurdo were drinking Jack Daniels and Strongbow,and playing loud music.

He admitted he had drunk some Jack Daniels but felt ‘sick as a dog’ because he was suffering at the time from a gall bladder problem. He decided to go home.

He said: “I told Claire. I told her to get her priorities right because she did she needed her medication. She said she’d sort it out on Monday.”

When he left, he said Claire was sitting on the couch in the living room drinking.

He added: “I did go back. I tried the door but the door was locked. I didn’t understand why. I went to the back and shouted up. It sounded like they were having a laugh. The music was blaring.

“I went home because I didn’t expect my girlfriend to get murdered. Then, at 3 o’clock in the morning, the CID came. I thought it was Claire.

“They never told me she was dead. That’s why there were two statements. I didn’t want to get her in trouble eh.

“They never returned. My wee sister told me the bad news.”

The trial at the High Court in Livingston, before Lady Scott, continues.