A Dundee murder accused was seen covered in blood three feet away from his alleged victim, a trial has been told.
Matthew Pope had blood “everywhere”, including on his face and hair, as Michael Given lay on the floor covered with a television unit, according to a teenage witness.
Pope denies murdering Mr Given in Elders Court multi-storey, Lochee, on July 20 or 21 last year and has lodged a special defence of incrimination against two other men.
Sarah Hendry, 18, said that Pope had entered the second-floor flat of his then girlfriend Melissa McKay shortly after midnight, with blood on his face.
When Pope saw he was bleeding, he ran out of the flat saying: “I’m going to batter him.”
Miss Hendry said she had followed Miss McKay up the stairs to the sixth floor, where she heard a “horrible sound” coming from Mr Given’s flat.
In a police interview, Miss Hendry said: “It sounded like somebody hitting somebody, like an attack.”
Miss Hendry said she and Miss McKay entered the flat. Miss Hendry stayed in the hallway but could see into the living room.
She said: “Michael was lying on the floor with a TV unit over the top of him. Melissa was pulling at Matthew telling him to stop.”
Douglas Fairley QC, prosecuting, asked: “What did you see on Matthew Pope?”
“Blood,” she replied. “There was a lot.”
“Where was it?”, Mr Fairley asked.
“Everywhere.”
He asked: “Was there any movement from Mr Given?”
“No, none,” Miss Hendry replied.
Miss Hendry was asked what Melissa McKay had spoken to her about in Dundee city centre four days later.
She said: “She asked me to lie about where I was that night and to say I had left earlier.”
Brian McConnachie QC, defending, said there was no dispute that there had been “some kind of fight” between the two men and “no argument” Pope had blood on him.
He told Miss Hendry: “I am not suggesting you are making this all up. What I’m suggesting is that you came on the scene later than you thought you did.
“For nine days you don’t bother to tell the police. Your explanation is that you didn’t want to get involved?”
Miss Hendry said: “I was scared.”
“Of what?” asked Mr McConnachie.
Breaking down in the witness box, she replied: “Melissa was my best friend.”
In other evidence, Robbie Scott, 19, who was outside Elders Court at 12.18am with Aaron McHugh and Danielle Jamieson, said he heard “banging and shouting” coming from Mr Given’s flat.
He said someone was shouting: “Don’t think I’m finished with you yet. I’ve come back to finish off the job.”
Mr Scott said that he saw a “shadow” at the window of the flat.
He told the trial: “It was a large object like something getting thrown through the air.”
Mr Scott said 10 minutes later, looking towards Mr Given’s flat, he heard a female voice “screaming in fear” saying: “How could you have done this? What have you done?”
Shown CCTV footage of Pope and Melissa McKay returning to Elders Court at 3.16am that night, Mr Scott confirmed that Pope’s clothing was different to what he had seen him wearing earlier.
Pope, 22, denies murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by removing blood-stained clothing and disposing of evidence in a bin.
He has lodged special defences of incrimination against Ryan Crighton and Aaron McHugh and a special defence of self-defence against Michael Given.
The trial at the High Court in Aberdeen continues.