A man accused of murdering a Perth father-of-one on a remote country road has been remanded in custody ahead of his trial.
John Higgins faces allegations he attacked Stephen Speedie with a knife on the Path of Condie road, near Dunning.
The 42-year-old is further accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by burning clothes.
Mr Speedie’s body was found on the rural route between Kinross and Dunning on the morning of June 13, prompting a major police investigation.
Detectives confirmed they were treating the 29-year-old’s death as murder following the results of a post-mortem examination.
John Higgins made no plea when he appeared on petition at Perth Sheriff Court last week.
He returned to the dock for a full committal hearing and was remanded in custody with his next court appearance still to be confirmed.
He is accused of murdering Mr Speedie by striking him on the body with a knife or similar weapon.
It is further alleged Higgins instructed people, who are not known to prosecutors, to light a fire in the garden of his home at Allanwater Gardens, Blackford.
Prosecutors say, en route to the property, Higgins disposed of a weapon in an area of water.
Once home, the father-of-three is alleged to have removed his clothing and burned them in the fire pit, in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.
A 40-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man were arrested as part of the investigation but both were released pending further inquiries.
Slash attack
A woman whose ex-boyfriend was jailed for a fatal knife attack has been convicted of slashing a man with a handmade razor weapon at her Perth home. Shannon Beattie attacked her friend, slicing his face and neck, after he told her: “You get people murdered.”
Non-harassment ‘as long as possible’
A first offender was slated by a sheriff told of years of domestic abuse.
Barry Smith covered the woman’s mouth and threatened her with violence at an address in Dundee between April 1 2022 and November 18 2024.
The 47-year-old previously pled guilty to presenting in an aggressive manner, shouting, swearing, making offensive remarks and making violent threats.
Smith, of Lochee Road, made an offensive and threatening phone call, seized her phone and injured her after he covered her mouth with his hand.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard Smith’s victim wished for a non-harassment order “for as long as possible”.
Smith returned to court for sentencing after a social work report was compiled.
Sheriff Gregor Murray was told how Smith and his now-ex-partner had been staying in the same address, despite being separated.
The sheriff said: “Your behaviour you exhibited to your wife was what psychologists describe as classic attempts to control someone. It’s appalling.
“I hear you are remorseful for your actions and I’ll take account of that. It must have been terrifying for your partner.”
Smith was ordered to perform 120 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody and made subject to a non-harassment order for five years.
Admitted torching car
Jordan Forster admitted torching his ex-partner’s car after apparently trying to force his way into her Fife home. He had made abusive and threatening phone calls to the woman throughout the evening. He tried to withdraw his guilty plea to the fireraising but was not allowed to.
Prison terror
A prisoner who bombarded his wife in Fife with 1,382 calls from behind bars – including making threats to kill her – during a six-month period of domestic abuse has been jailed for 28 months.
James Finn, 38, also threatened to go on hunger strike unless the woman answered his calls, constantly accused her of cheating on him, threatened her acquaintances with violence and would often threaten to kill himself or end their relationship.
Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard previously Finn was released from prison in early November last year and given a non-harassment order but found himself back behind bars within a week for breaching it.
Six days later, the woman received a letter from him instructing her to get a new SIM card for her mobile and to send him the new number using an alias.
He also pleaded with her to send him some of her weekly disability payment.
She sent him the new phone number and was bombarded with calls and voicemails.
Early this year, the woman emailed Perth Prison advising of her intention to seek a divorce. The court heard that they divorced in March.
Finn previously pled guilty to engaging in a course of abusive behaviour between July 1 last year and January 16 this year at HMP Perth and an address in Ballingry.
He also admitted breaching a non-harassment order, made on November 6 last year, by contacting her on various occasions until February 6 this year.
Finn reappeared for sentencing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link to prison.
Sheriff Steven Borthwick noted the writer of Finn’s social work report expressed concerns about his ability to comply with community-based disposals because of his record of previous convictions.
The sheriff said: “As far as the risk assessment is concerned, the writer of the report describes you as someone who has evidenced a propensity to cause extreme harm to his intimate partners”.
He said the author also says Finn has shown “blatant disregard” to court instructions forbidding him to approach his victim previously and has concerns he may do so again.
The sheriff jailed Finn for 28 months, backdated to November 12 last year when he was remanded.
He also banned him from contacting the woman for five years.
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