Prosecutors allege a Fife man attacked a murder suspect, accused of killing a teenager and then hiding a deadly blade in the grounds of Holyrood Palace.
Bailey Dowling from London allegedly attacked 18-year-old outdoors activity instructor Lewis McCartney in Viewcraig Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town on February 12 2023.
Prosecutors claim the 20 year-old struck Mr McCartney on the body with a knife.
He appeared at the High Court in Glasgow with co-accused Benjamin Wilson, 20, from Burntisland.
Wilson does not face the murder accusation but is said to have assaulted Dowling on the same date and place as the alleged killing.
He is charged with striking Dowling on the head with a bottle to his injury.
Fled country claim
Dowling faces a separate charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
This includes a claim that he did “dispose” of a blade “at the grounds of Holyrood Palace” in the capital – the official residence of King Charles when he is in Scotland.
Dowling is also said to have fled Edinburgh on foot and by train to London.
It is claimed he done this to “avoid detection, arrest and prosecution”.
He is further charged with having a knife in a public place.
The case called on Thursday and both pled not guilty to all charges.
Lord Clark fixed a trial due to begin in April 2025 in Edinburgh.
Dowling, of Thamesmead, south-east London, and Wilson remain on bail meantime.
Lewis was an instructor at the time of his death at the Bridge 8 Hub and Puddle Cafe in the capital.
He was hailed as “well liked” and a “gifted lad”.
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