Data recovered from murder accused Tasmin Glass’s mobile phone as part of the Steven Donaldson inquiry included 4,000 pages worth of text messages between the former lovers.
The 13th day of the Edinburgh High Court trial into the alleged murder of 27-year-old Mr Donaldson in early June began with the cross-examination of cybercrime detective Stewart Woodhouse following earlier evidence of messages sent and received by the three accused in the case.
Steven Dickie and Callum Davidson, both 24 and Tasmin Glass, 20, all from Kirriemuir deny murdering Mr Donaldson by attacking him and setting fire to him and his car on June 6 or 7 last year.
Cross-examined by Mark Stewart QC, legal counsel for Glass, Mr Woodhouse agreed the huge amount of data recovered from his client’s mobile phone would have stretched to 19,000 pages if printed out.
Mr Stewart added: “Approximately 4,000 pages of that would relate to messages between Tasmin Glass and Steven Donaldson, would that sound about right?” asked Mr Stewart.
“From experience of previous cases it is entirely likely that is the case,” the witness replied.
The pair turned to a message exchange between Glass and Mr Donaldson on the night before the Arbroath man’s body was found at Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve.
Mr Woodhouse agreed it became apparent Mr Donaldson was “not content” to leave a meeting between the pair until the following day.
Mr Stewart said: “Far from trying to arrange a meeting with Mr Donaldson, she (Glass) is, on one interpretation, trying to put off the meeting?”
“Yes,” replied the witness.
“Reading this, Mr Donaldson had no difficulty in understanding what hill they were talking about and where the hill was?” Mr Stewart asked, to which the witness responded: “That’s correct, yes.”
Under questioning by advocate Jonathan Crowe, counsel for Davidson, Mr Woodhouse was asked about the search term “whepons” which had been found on the browsing history of the accused’s mobile phone.
“What the jury have been presented with here is that it may appear relatively sinister. You would agree that there would be illegitimate and legitimate reasons for being interested in machetes?”
The witness acknowledged that would be the case.
He was also asked if the search of Davidson’s phone had also revealed terms associated with agriculture and forestry, including coppicing saws, chain saws and brush cutters, but said he could not recall that.
The trial continues.
