A police CCTV expert has told the Steven Donaldson murder trial he believes two of the accused were seen on camera in a car having a “debate” over which route to take on the night of the alleged killing.
Tasmin Glass and Callum Davidson were captured at 11pm in Glass’s Vauxhall Corsa, coming up to a junction close to Davidson’s home.
On the tenth day of the Edinburgh High Court trial, Detective Constable David Budd said arm movements in the car led him to the view that the pair were deciding which way to turn at the Elm Street junction with Kirrie’s Brechin Road.
Jurors were also shown a clip of two people walking in the area of Kirrie Den half an hour after midnight the following morning.
Mr Budd was the CCTV co-ordinator in the murder investigation and jurors have already been presented with a joint minute of agreement detailing movements of Glass’s orange Corsa and Mr Donaldson’s white BMW 1 Series on various streets in Kirriemuir on the evening of June 6 last year.
The 27-year-old’s charred and badly beaten body was found at Kinnordy Loch nature reserve on the outskirts of the Angus town just before 5am the following morning.
Referring to a CCTV clip of Glass’s car – with her driving and Davidson in the front passenger seat – from the Brechin Road junction recorded just after 11pm, Mr Budd said: “It stops at the junction.
“From what I can see there is a discussion.
“There are some hand movements, to make it clear you can turn right to go to Kirrie Hill or go left. It looks like there is some sort of debate.”
The car turned left at the junction and was then picked up in other Kirriemuir streets, including close to Glass’s home heading in the direction of Kirrie Hill.
The court was then played a CCTV clip from a private property in the vicinity of Tannage Brae.
Mr Budd said it showed two figures emerging from the area of Kirrie Den and then walking in the direction of the Kirrie Health Centre car park.
“They appear to be following each other,” he told the court.
Advocate depute Ashley Edwards asked: “Were you able to distinguish anything more on where those figures went?”
The witness replied: “There is only one option there and it is up the steps to the one-way system.”
Jurors earlier heard police found a 40-metre drag mark to where the body of Mr Donaldson was found beside his burned out BMW.
The court also heard his blood was also found on a T-shirt belonging Davidson.
The trial continues.
Charges faced by Glass, Dickie and Davidson
The charge faced by all three accused – Tasmin Glass, Steven Dickie and Callum Davidson – alleges that between June 6 and 7 2018 at the Peter Pan playpark, Kirriemuir, and Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve car park, they arranged to meet Mr Donaldson with the intention of harming him and assaulted him. Once there, they repeatedly struck him on the head and body with unknown instruments whereby he was incapacitated. Thereafter, they took him to Loch of Kinnordy where they repeatedly struck him on the head and body with a knife and baseball bat or similar instruments, then repeatedly struck him on the head and neck with an unknown heavy bladed instrument and set fire to him and his motor vehicle, registered S73 VED, and murdered him.
Dickie and Davidson face four other charges including one of behaving in a threatening manner towards two men between January 2014 and June 2018 by making threats, following them on foot and in a motor vehicle.
They are also charged with putting a kitten in a bag in Main Street, Lochore, Fife, during an incident between February 1 and May 31 2017, swinging the bag about and punching and kicking the kitten.
Another charge includes behaving in a threatening manner towards a man in St Malcolm’s Wynd, Kirriemuir, and elsewhere between December 1 2017 and February 28 2018 by following him on foot and in a vehicle, and threatening him with weapons.
Both also deny following and staring at a woman and kicking her car in Kirriemuir between August 1 2017 and April 31 2018.
Davidson faces a further charge of assaulting a man between June 1 2017 and December 31 2017 at a house in Glengate, Kirriemuir.
He allegedly pushed him to the floor and threatened to punch him.
Dickie is also accused of assaulting a woman at the Ogilvy Arms pub in Kirriemuir between February 1 and 28 last year.
He allegedly seized her by the wrist and neck and threatened her with violence.
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