The Fife woman accused of murdering Mary Logie has told a court how she paid for her heroin habit by stealing around £4,000 from the pensioner’s bank account.
Sandra Weir, 41, told jurors on Tuesday that she “abused” the 82-year-old’s trust when she took money from her between late 2014 and early 2016.
Weir told the High Court in Edinburgh that she told Mrs Logie in January last year about how she had illegally obtained approximately £1,150 from her funds in late 2014.
Weir told defence advocate Murray Macara QC that she told Mrs Logie that what she had done was illegal.
However, the court heard Mrs Logie declined to press charges and gave Weir the opportunity to pay the sum back.
The court then heard that in late 2015 Weir told Mrs Logie that she had financial worries caused by her abusing heroin and losing her job at a solicitor’s office.
Weir said her neighbour offered to help her. But she continued to take large amounts of money from Mrs Logie’s bank account.
Referring to Mrs Logie as Rae – the name which friends and family called her – Weir told the court: “I had told Rae about the trouble I was in and she offered to help me.
“She offered to help by giving a tenner here and a tenner there. I abused that.”
Weir, of Leven, was giving evidence on the seventh day of proceedings against her. She denies murdering her neighbour Mrs Logie at her home in the town’s Greengates on January 5 this year and other charges.
Weir told the court that on the evening Mrs Logie was allegedly murdered, she was at home.
At approximately 8pm, she decided to visit her neighbour.
Weir told Mr Macara that she had a key and went into Mrs Logie’s home.
She said: “Rae was lying on the floor. There was a lot of blood.”
Weir added: “I could hear her breathing. It was gurgly.”
Weir told the court she stamped on the floor to get the attention of her downstairs neighbour. She also shouted for her husband to come and help her.
Mr Macara asked Weir if she “attacked” Mrs Logie and she replied: “No.”
The court heard that paramedics were called and police eventually arrived at the scene as well. Weir told the court that she spent the next 14 hours at a nearby police station giving a witness statement to officers.
At the conclusion of the Crown case, prosecutors dropped a number of the charges against Weir.
She now faces charges which allege that she stole quantities of money, two rings and a bank card belonging to Mrs Logie from her home. The offence was allegedly committed between April 1 2010 and January 5 2016.
Prosecutors also amended a charge which originally claimed Weir stole £4,460 belonging to Mrs Logie.
The charge now states Weir stole ‘a sum of money’ belonging to Mrs Logie.
Prosecutors also claim she killed Mrs Logie by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a rolling pin or similar instrument at Mrs Logie’s house on January 5. Weir has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her lawyers have lodged a special defence of alibi in relation to the murder charge.
The trial continues.
