A man has gone on trial accused of murdering Arbroath dad Frankie Melvin.
Jackie Doig, 42, denies allegations he killed Mr Melvin after chasing him down an Arbroath street armed with a knife.
Jurors heard evidence from, amongst others, Mr Melvin’s mother Dawn Reid.
She told the High Court in Dundee her son had visited her home the day he died with the man accused of killing him.
Doig, she said, had slumped over in her living room with his head between his knees.
Mr Melvin’s children were scared of Doig, she told the court, and she had taken a picture of the drug-addled man to show Mr Melvin how unhappy she was that he had brought him to her Arbroath home.
She said: “I thought they were (both) under the influence of something.
“They left my house at around 4pm.
“Frankie owed me money, he had gone to the bank and Doig stayed at my house.
“He sat with his head between his knees.
“Frankie’s two wee boys were frightened of Doig.
“The pair then left. He said goodbye to his boys. I never saw Frankie again.”
Ms Reid was questioned about what colour jacket Doig was wearing, to which she responded: “It was a dark red/orange colour.”
Tributes
Mr Melvin, who is originally from Dundee, was declared dead near a pedestrian underpass on Spitalfield Place in August 2020.
The 34-year-old was described by his family as a “much loved son, father, brother, partner and uncle”.
They said his loss was “sorely felt by many”.
Shop visit
The High Court heard further evidence from staff at the Timmergreens Co-Op, who had interacted with Mr Melvin and the accused as they shopped after leaving Ms Reid’s house.
They said Mr Melvin was a regular at the store.
CCTV footage of the pair walking around the shop was shown to the court, with the accused wearing an orange jacket and shorts and Mr Melvin in a black tracksuit.
A video was then shown from later that day, which showed only Doig in the shop without the orange jacket.
Assistant manager Lukas Trawelski said he served Doig cigarettes on his return journey and noted he had a mark on his eye.
“The guy in the orange jacket came back in one and a half hours later,” Mr Trawelski said.
“He looked like he had tripped or been in a fight.
“His left eye was swollen.”
Brothers
The High Court also heard from brothers Kevin and Philip Smith, who described themselves as “associates” of Mr Melvin.
Philip told the court Mr Melvin had arrived at the flat he shared with his brother with Doig, who was unknown to them both.
He said Mr Melvin took his top off before punching Doig, which caused him to spill a large number of Valium tablets on the living room floor.
The pair were asked to leave, Philip Smith told the court.
He added he had seen a knife tucked in Mr Melvin’s trousers at the back.
Kevin said he could not recall a fight between Mr Melvin and Doig or remember the pair visiting the flat.
Both brothers admitted they had suffered from drug addiction at the time, but were now clean.
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.
Doig is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by removing and concealing clothes he wore during the alleged killing and concealing mobile phones.
Prosecutors say he did this to avoid detection and prosecution.
It is further claimed, on the same day as the alleged murder, Doig was concerned in the supply of Etizolam, a class C drug.
Doig denies all charges. The trial continues.
