A murder accused allegedly told police that he was thrown down a grass embankment by a taxi driver who refused to give him a cigarette.
Steven Greig is said to have made the comments after being arrested in connection with assaulting Mark Ward on Dundee’s Coupar Angus Road.
Mr Ward was found lying on the road after 1.30pm on April 6 2022 before being rushed to Ninewells Hospital.
The 54-year-old died a year later – on April 5 2023 – after succumbing to the traumatic head injuries he sustained.
Greig, 47, denies murdering Mr Ward and is on trial at the High Court in Dundee.
‘Fighting with a taxi driver’
Jurors heard claims on the second day of the trial that Greig made several comments to PC William Collins, the officer tasked with accompanying him in the back of a police van.
Greig had been arrested in connection with assaulting Mr Ward and was under caution at the time.
According to PC Collins, Greig said: “I asked him for a cigarette and he threw me down the f****** grass.
“Do you know he threw a bottle at me?
“I’m on five bails. That’s me f***** all because he wouldn’t give me a draw of a fag.”
Ring doorbell footage was played to the court of Greig visiting the home of his ex-partner’s mother on South Road earlier in the day.
Tracy Mudie said she wasn’t in a relationship at the time with Greig and had repeatedly told him to go away.
“He seemed like he was under the influence and quite angry,” the 47-year-old told advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC.
“He came to the door and said he had been fighting with a taxi driver over a fag, the taxi driver came after him and he slipped and stamped on his head.
Mr Mohammed asked: “When he was telling you this, what was his demeanour like?”
Ms Mudie replied: “Still angry. He said he had just done it. I didn’t believe him and just told him to eff off and go away.”
She told the court that she then saw blue lights flashing at the roundabout near Adamson Court.
‘Heavy handed’ policing?
Defence solicitor advocate Marco Guarino questioned Ms Mudie about the police’s “heavy-handed” approach towards her in the aftermath of the incident.
He said: “The police were quite firm with you because they still thought you had something to do with this.
“They wanted you to basically given them an alibi and they were somewhat heavy-handed.
“Can I suggest that Steven Greig never mentioned anything about stamping on the gentleman mentioned.
“Is it the case that he didn’t say that and what you were doing was anything you could to get back at him and get yourself out of the police firing line?”
This was denied by Ms Mudie.
Greig denies murdering Mr Ward by struggling and pushing him, causing him to fall down a grassy slope, landing on the road and striking his head before kicking or stamping on his head.
The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues.
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