A man broke down in tears as he told a court how a gang “played” with him and his brother as they beat him up at a Fife industrial yard.
John Dunsire said he and his brother Lee were taken to the William Matthew and Son contractors site in Kirkcaldy before being assaulted by “10 or 15” armed men.
Brothers William, 59, and John Matthew, 63, alongside Owen Bonner, 24, and Conner Davies, 27, deny allegations they abducted and assaulted the pair on April 13 2021.
The witness described how he thought his head would “pop” as a “16-stone” assailant stood on it.
He said: “It was f***ing torture”.
However, he also thanked Bonner for throwing him a crutch to escape the yard, telling him “you saved my life”.
Witness told court he had stolen quad bike
John Dunsire candidly told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court he had stolen a quad bike just days after being released from prison.
While searching for a bicycle to steal to use as transport, he chanced upon the quad with the keys in the ignition.
The 40-year-old later made plans to sell it to buy drugs and was picked up, with his brother, by a man in a van in anticipation of the deal.
Mr Dunsire claimed the driver was Owen Bonnar and that he was taken to the Hayfield Industrial estate before being pulled from the van and set upon.
He said: “(Owen) started punching f*** out of me. He said ‘That was my quad’.
“My brother was trying to get out the passenger door.
‘I was told I was getting buried’
“I thought he had been killed – he was hit on the head with a pick shaft.
“I got pulled out of the van by Wullie and Jeek (William and John Matthew).
“I was told I was getting buried.
“I was hit with a pick shaft, baseball bats and was punched and kicked.
“I just shut my eyes, because I thought I was dead.
“Wullie came over and stood on my head.
“He said ‘If you don’t get out of my yard I’m burying you’.”
Broke down in tears
Mr Dunsire broke down as he described how the attack continued.
He said: “They were asking us to get up and get out of the yard.
“Then they would hit us with the pick shaft and we’d go down.
“They then told us to get up and out of the yard.
“They were playing with us, they were toying with us.
“It was f***ing torture, man.”
Mr Dunsire needed surgery for a broken knee cap and breaks to his right thigh bone and forearm.
Matthew brothers not at yard, defence say
Defence agent Dewar Spence, acting for John Matthew, put it to Mr Dunsire he was only assuming his client was present because he associated the yard with the brothers.
Mr Dunsire replied: “No, I know he was there.”
He also told Mr Spence he was too scared to identify the accused in an identity parade: “Because they are a big family and I didn’t want the repercussions because of something I did because of my stupidity.”
Jonathan Crowe, representing William Matthew, showed Mr Dunsire CCTV footage which showed the aftermath of the alleged attack.
In it, a white vehicle – stated in court to be a Ford Ranger – pulled up Hayfield Road, a short distance from the pair.
Mr Crowe put it to the witness this car belonged to his client and he had stopped to check on them.
Mr Dunsire disagreed with that, stating: “It was him that half popped my brains out.”
Brothers spoke of incident
Mr Dunsire denied making up the story when asked by Kerr Sneddon, representing Bonner.
However, he said they had spoken about the incident after it happened as they live together.
The court had earlier heard from Lee Dunsire that he thought he would die in the attack.
The charges
The four men – all from the Kirkcaldy area – deny abduction and assault.
The charges state they repeatedly punched and kicked the Dunsires in the body and repeatedly struck them in the head and body with pick axe shafts and baseball bats.
It is also said they stood and jumped on John Dunsire’s head and struck him with a metal crutch.
The alleged attack is said to have resulted in severe injury, permanent impairment and disfigurement to both brothers and been to the danger of John Dunsire’s life.
The men are also accused of making threats of violence to the brothers.
The trial, before Sheriff Robert More, continues.
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