An alleged victim of threats by two men facing a charge of murdering oil worker Steven Donaldson has claimed he was told he was “getting it” by the pair.
On the second day of evidence at the High Court in Edinburgh before Lord Pentland and a jury of eight women and seven men, the focus of the trial switched to other charges on the indictment faced by 24-year-olds Steven Dickie and Callum Davidson, both of Kirriemuir.
It included one of behaving in a threatening manner towards James Whyte and Sam Wilkie between January 2014 and June 2018 by making threats, following them on foot and by car and presenting weapons at them.
Mr Whyte told the court he believed he was caught up in the situation because of his friendship with Mr Wilkie, who was involved in an on-off relationship with a woman called Nicola Matthews – a former partner of Dickie.
Dickie, Davidson and Tasmin Glass are on trial over the murder of 27-year-old Donaldson, of Arbroath, whose body was found at Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve, last June.
Mr Whyte, 24, told advocate depute Ashley Edwards about an incident in Kirriemuir, possibly around the summer of 2016 in which he and Mr Wilkie were followed in their car by an Audi.
The car was allegedly driven by Davidson.
When the vehicles stopped, Dickie got out of the car.
Mr Whyte said Dickie came over and tried to pull the door open.
He added: “I managed to pull it shut. When we were in The Square to start with they were putting hand gestures up and saying that we were going to get it.”
Mr Whyte said there had also been other incidents in which abuse had been directed at himself and his friend.
Under cross-examination by Ian Duguid QC, representing Dickie, Mr Whyte said, to his knowledge, none of the incidents had been reported to police.
Dickie, Davidson and 20-year-old Glass deny attacking Mr Donaldson at Kirriemuir’s Peter Pan playpark before taking him to the Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve on the outskirts of the Angus town where they allegedly set fire to the him and his car last June.
The trial has been told oil worker Mr Donaldson died from sharp force trauma to the neck.
The trial continues.
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