Two friends, accused of murdering a man found dead in his Aberdeen flat, “demonstrated a complete disregard” for his safety, a jury has been told.
Ryan Gibb, 32, and Cameron Laurie, 33, deny killing James Chadwick on the night of August 31 into September 1 2015 at an address in Holland Street, Aberdeen.
Yesterday, at the High Court in Aberdeen, the prosecution and defence counsels made their closing statements to the jury.
Advocate depute James Keegan QC said: “Drunkenness, ladies and gentlemen, is not an excuse.
“In short, they acted in such a way as to demonstrate a complete disregard for Mr Chadwick’s safety.
“We’ve been told he died because he was kicked and stamped on repeatedly.”
Keith Stewart QC, representing Gibb, said: “There’s nothing to say the subdural haemorrhage was necessarily the result of kicking and stamping to the head.”
Referring to evidence which suggested Mr Chadwick had been conscious when the pair left, he continued: “They simply can’t rule out the possibility the subdural haemorrhage was caused by something that occurred after the accused had left the flat.”
Brian McConnachie QC, representing Laurie, said: “It’s rare perhaps that a case against a man depends so much on the evidence of one individual and it’s rarer still that the individual is the co-accused.
“Because the crown, to a very, very significant degree, depend on things that Ryan Gibb has said to people to present a case against Cameron Laurie.
“If you extract Ryan Gibb from the evidence against Cameron Laurie, you’re left, in my submission, with very little indeed.”
He added: “Ryan Gibb is desperate, desperate to tell everyone and anyone who will listen, and even people who don’t want to listen, that he had nothing to do with it.”
Gibb and Laurie are alleged to have murdered Mr Chadwick, at his Holland Street flat, by striking him on the face, punching him, repeatedly striking him with a dog lead or similar and kicking and stamping on Mr Chadwick’s head and body.
They are further accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
The trial continues.
