A Perth teenager repeatedly said “I’m f***ed, I’m going to prison” as he fled after stabbing a man three times, a high court trial has been told.
Caleb Ferguson and a friend ran from a flat in Perth’s South Methven Street to his home in North Muirton.
Police were called to the abandoned flat, where they found Cameron Rae unconscious and slumped on a sofa, with wounds to his abdomen.
He was declared dead by a trauma doctor as paramedics moved him from the top-floor flat to an ambulance.
Ferguson, from Perth, is alleged to have stabbed 20-year-old Mr Rae to death on April 8 last year.
Ferguson, now 20, denies multiple charges, including that of murdering Mr Rae.
He offered to plead guilty to a lesser offence at the start of the trial under deletion of the word “murder” and substitution with “kill”.
Advocate depute Greg Farrell said the plea offered was not acceptable to the Crown.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard pre-recorded evidence from a former friend of Ferguson, who had been at the flat with the accused and Mr Rae that night.
Connor Kelly said he and Ferguson had been drinking and taking cocaine before he had invited Mr Rae to join them at the property, which was described as “a party flat”.
After he went downstairs to the building’s main door to sell some cocaine to an unknown man he returned to find Mr Rae injured and Ferguson standing over him.
He said: “I froze. I was scared.
”Caleb was standing over him saying he’d been talking about his (Ferguson’s) junkie dad.
”I could see he (Mr Rae) was holding his side and had fallen back.
“I just rushed over to Cameron and said we had to call an ambulance.”
He said he used a hoodie as a makeshift wound dressing and propped the building door open to allow ambulance staff easy access, before fleeing with Ferguson.
Mr Kelly said: “I was taking him (Ferguson) home so that I know he got home okay.
“He was saying he’s f***ed, he was f***ed and he was going to jail.
”He wasn’t crying at that point but he wasn’t far from it. We were both absolutely petrified.“
Frantic phone call
He said during a phone call to his sister on Mr Kelly’s phone, Ferguson said he had “plugged f*** out of Cameron Rae”.
The witness said he understood it to mean “stabbed”.
He went on: “When we were at White Bridge (which connects Dunkeld Road with Muirton), he was talking about jumping off and I told him not to be stupid.”
Mr Kelly said after leaving Ferguson at home, he was picked up by his sister and the pair tried to drive back past the flat but were unable due to all the emergency vehicles.
Officers arrived at the flat at around 9.45pm after receiving a report of a person being injured.
PC David Myles was amongst the first on the scene, with a colleague.
He told the trial: “As we entered the living room I found the now-deceased male slouched on a couch on the right hand side.
“He appeared to be unconscious, with blood on his t-shirt.
“I also noticed a large kitchen knife on the other couch.
“PC McEwan lifted his t-shirt, which revealed three large lacerations on the left-hand side of his abdomen.
“Paramedics were on scene when we arrived but for their safety, they weren’t able to enter because of the knives.”
He said the medics initially detected a pulse but they and his colleague soon had to begin CPR.
Mr Rae was pronounced dead at 10.28pm.
Crime scene photos showed other knives in the room.
The court heard Mr Rae had been out drinking with friends in the city centre Sandeman pub in the hours leading up to his death.
Friend Jack Muirhead told the court he had been in good spirits.
“He was his usual self – happy, ready to have fun and go out.
“He was always happy as larry.
”We were out to get drunk – that was the point.”
He said he later became aware Mr Rae had been asked to leave the pub but said he did not witness this, nor did he know why.
Ferguson denies all the charges he faces including murder, assault, behaving in a threatening manner and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
The trial before Lord Scott continues.
The Courier will be following the murder trial throughout. Check our dedicated page for updates.
