Murder accused planned to "rough up" Steven Donaldson, court hears

A murder accused has told jurors how his alleged victim was to be "roughed up" so he would "back off' from demanding an ex girlfriend give him cash.

Steven Dickie, 24, told a jury on Tuesday how his best friend Callum Davidson, 24, wanted to assault Steven Donaldson, 27, on June 6 last year.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Mr Dickie say that his co-accused Tasmin Glass, 20, had started "bubbling" because she owed Mr Donaldson money.

He said that Miss Glass had said Mr Donaldson had been giving her "hassle" over money she owed him for car which she had written off.

The court had earlier heard how Mr Donaldson had bought Miss Glass a Volkswagen Scirocco and she had agreed to pay him back a sum of cash after it became unroadworthy.

On Tuesday, Mr Dickie told his lawyer Ian Duguid QC that after Miss Glass confided in the two men about her financial plight, Mr Davidson suggested a plan.

Mr Dickie said: "Callum wanted to go up and give him a bit of a roughing up to warn him to back off because he was hassling her for money."

Mr Dickie was giving evidence on the 14th day of proceedings against himself, Mr Davidson and Miss Glass.

The trio, who all come from Kirriemuir, Angus, deny murdering Mr Donaldson, of Arbroath, in their home town between June 6 and June 7 last year.

On Tuesday, Mr Dickie told the court that he was currently on remand at Perth Prison.

He said that he had been having sex with Miss Glass in the weeks before Mr Donaldson's death.

The tyre fitter said that he had never heard of Steven Donaldson until Miss Glass started telling him about what happened to her old Volkswagen car.

He said: "She started bubbling."

Mr Dickie said that after she told him about what happened, he and Mr Davidson got into their co-accused's new car, a Vauxhall Corsa.

He said Miss Glass was going to meet Mr Donaldson at the Peter Pan play park in Kirriemuir.

Mr Dickie said that just before she arrived at the park , he and Mr Davidson got out of the car and walked to the location.

When Mr Duguid asked why he and Mr Davidson did this, the accused replied: "She didn't want the boy to see us in the car."

Mr Dickie said that as he and Mr Davidson walked to the play park, he could see Tasmin's car sitting beside a white BMW. The court had earlier heard that Mr Donaldson drove a white BMW.

When Mr Duguid asked Mr Dickie to describe what happened next, he said: "I could hear a bit of shouting. We received a phone call from Tasmin to say 'hurry up'.

"I answered the call and she said 'put Callum on' but we were just a few metres away."

Mr Duguid then asked him to describe what happened. Mr Dickie said: "Callum lunged in the driver's window. I just sort of froze as soon as he dived in the window.

"Tasmin left. She took off. She sped off."

Mr Dickie said that the white BMW started driving away from the location. He said he didn't have his mobile phone and started heading back to Mr Davidson's house.

He told the jury that he passed by the birthplace of JM Barrie - the creator of Peter Pan on his way back to his friend's house.

Mr Dickie said that after arriving back at the house, he waited for an hour for his friend to return. He said that upon his friend's arrival, he wanted to tell his girlfriend Claire Ogston about what had happened but she had "shut the conversation down."

Mr Dickie said that Mr Davidson later told him about what he had done.

He said: "He said that he sorted the boy out and that he had given the boy a hiding."

Mr Dickie said that Mr Davidson said he had broken a baseball bat during the incident and that he needed to go out and look for the broken part.

Mr Dickie said that his friend then left the house to look for the item on a pushbike.

Mr Dickie gave evidence after prosecutors closed the case against the trio on Tuesday afternoon.

Prosecutors claim that between June 6 and June 7 last year, Mr Dickie, Mr Davidson arranged to meet Mr Donaldson at the Peter Pan play park in Kirriemuir and assaulted him there by repeatedly striking him with "unknown weapons".

It's alleged the trio then took Mr Donaldson to the nearby Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve car park.

Once at the car park, the Crown allege that Mr Donaldson was struck on the head and body with a knife, a baseball bat or similar instrument.

The trio are then alleged to have set fire to Mr Donaldson and to his car.

Mr Dickie and Mr Davidson also face a number of other charges including assaults and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

At the end of the Crown case on Tuesday , prosecutor Ashley Edwards QC withdrew a charge which alleged that Mr Dickie and Mr Davidson punched and kicked a kitten which they had placed in a bag.

The alleged assault against the animal was said to have taken place at a location in Fife on an occasion between February and May 2017.

Judge Lord Pentland formally acquitted the men of the charge.

Ms Edwards also withdrew a word 'incapacitated' from the alleged murder charge. Prosecutors had earlier claimed that Mr Donaldson was transported to the nature reserve car park whilst 'incapacitated'. The word has been deleted from the charge.

All three deny the charges against them.

The trial continues on Wednesday.