A callous killer is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering a Dundee taxi driver in a row over a cigarette.
Steven Greig pushed 55-year-old Mark Ward down a grass embankment in Lochee before he struck his head off concrete on Coupar Angus Road.
Greig then stamped on his “defenceless” and “gravely injured” victim’s head before walking away from the scene on April 6 2022.
In January 2023, the 47-year-old was jailed for more than five years for assaulting Mr Ward to the danger of his life.
Mr Ward died almost exactly 12 months on from the cowardly attack with the court hearing of the extent of his catastrophic brain injuries.
Victim was ‘robbed of his life’
In a previous interview with The Courier, Mr Ward’s family described him as a “doting uncle” who was “robbed of his life”.
Greig may now have his previous conviction quashed after being found guilty at the High Court in Dundee of murdering Mr Ward by a majority verdict.
He slumped forward after the verdict was delivered and appeared to shake his head as he was led to the cells below the courtroom.
Judge Lady Drummond said: “The only sentence available to the court is life imprisonment.
“It is for the court to decide what the punishment part should be.”
Greig, 47, previously offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide but this was rejected by the Crown prior to the trial.
As a result, jurors were not permitted to acquit Greig and opted to find him guilty of murder by a majority following the three-day hearing.
Lady Drummond added: “These are rare situations where someone has already previously been convicted of a matter and prosecuted out of the same circumstances but for a different crime.”
Doctor rushed to his aid
The court was told how Mr Ward required round-the-clock care and was unable to properly speak or digest food due to the severity of his disabilities.
It was revealed that he died in hospital on April 5 2023 of a chronic lung infection linked to his brain trauma.
Jurors were told how eyewitnesses – including Good Samaritan doctor Jennifer Rollo – rushed to Mr Ward’s aid after finding him lying on his back and bleeding heavily from his mouth and the back of his head at around 1.30pm.
He also had fractures to the left side of his face with his eye so swollen that Dr Rollo could not open it.
Bus passenger Lewis Webster, 22, described seeing two men arguing before witnessing a “proper push” and one man walking away “unbothered”.
Ring doorbell footage captured Greig telling his ex-partner minutes after the eventually fatal attack: “I just battered a taxi driver.
“I asked him for a smoke and he came at me with an attitude so I went ‘ken what, f*** him.’”
More than 90 convictions
Greig would later say after his arrest: “I asked him for a cigarette and he threw me down the f****** grass.
“I’m on five bails. That’s me f***** all because he wouldn’t give me a draw of a fag.”
Advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC tendered a victim impact statement from Mr Ward’s family for the judge to consider at the sentencing hearing.
The prosecutor revealed that Greig had more than 90 previous convictions with his criminal record dating back to 1993.
Defence solicitor advocate Marco Guarino made a motion under the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act to have Greig’s previous assault conviction quashed.
The law protects individuals from being prosecuted for the same offence twice.
Greig, a prisoner at HMP Perth, will be sentenced in March at the High Court in Glasgow once a social work report has been prepared.
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