A young Arbroath father died after being “stabbed” through the buttock, the High Court in Dundee has heard.
Frankie Melvin succumbed to his wound shortly after an altercation with Jackie Doig in August 2020.
Doig, 42, denies murdering Mr Melvin with a knife and has submitted a special defence of self defence.
Forensic pathologist Dr David Sadler told the court Mr Melvin had experienced a number of wounds caused by a single bladed implement, like a knife.
Of these only one proved fatal, a wound to his left buttock which penetrated into his pelvis, severing his superior gluteal artery.
Dr Sadler explained it would only take a matter of minutes having sustained this injury before the victim would have lost consciousness.
He said: “All of the wounds would suggest being done by a single, large blade.
“Four of the wounds would have been medically treatable.
“The neck wound could have hit a major arteries or organs but it didn’t.
“There were numerous blunt force injuries.
“The stab wounds were all to the back of the body.
“The toxicology report shows the victim was not heavily intoxicated and although under the influence it was not responsible for his death.”
Mr Melvin died at 7.10pm on August 26, the pathologist confirmed.
The Crown case concluded on Friday afternoon, with Doig acquitted of two charges on the indictment — one alleging he was concerned in the supply of Etizolam and another he attempted to defeat the ends of justice by trying to hide a jacket and two mobile phones.
Joint minute
A joint minute between the Crown and the defence agreed that footage of an incident on Newbigging Drive and Spitalfield Place showed Doig and Mr Melvin.
Doig was also identified by five witnesses at an ID parade, and a sixth confirmed it was him in a photograph identification exercise.
Doig was inspected by a police doctor hours after being arrested, and was found to have two 1.5 cm cuts to the palm-side of his index finger on his right hand.
He had superficial cuts to his ear and lip, none of which required medical attention.
After he was charged, Doig responded to officers saying: “I never killed anyone.”
Murder denied
Doig, formerly of Dundee, is accused of assaulting Mr Melvin in Newbigging Drive and Spitalfield Place, Arbroath, on August 26.
It is alleged he repeatedly punched and kicked him on the head and body, pursued him while armed with a knife and repeatedly stabbed him on the body and murdered him.
