A murder accused has taken to the witness stand to deny strangling his friend following a row over how quickly he was drinking his vodka.
A forensic pathologist told the High Court in Inverness that her post mortem examination of Thomas McTeir revealed bruises and abrasions to his neck and a fracture to the thyroid cartilage consistent with “external compression of the neck”.
But accused Bruce Rothwell took the stand to deny he had strangled Mr McTeir following the disagreement, claiming he had only “lashed out” to defend himself.
Rothwell, 62, denies murdering his friend at his home in Barrogill Street, Wick on June 13 2020, claiming he acted in self-defence.
Pathologist found neck bruises
Forensic pathologist Leighanne Deboys told advocate depute John McElroy that 50-year-old Mr McTeir had bruising and abrasions to his neck, “pin point” petechial haemorrhages around his eyes and a fracture to the thyroid cartilage in his neck.
She said the findings were consistent with an external compression of the neck.
But when questioned over the incident by defence advocate Tony Lenehan, Rothwell told the court he had not purposely choked his friend adding: “Unless I’ve mistakenly done it, I’ve got hold of his head, I’ve tried to turn it to one side to allow him to breathe.”
Rothwell told the court that Mr McTeir had come over to visit on the day in question and the pair had shared a litre bottle of vodka.
He said Mr McTeir had then taken a taxi to the Co-op to buy more vodka, but had returned in a bad mood.
“Tommy went to get more drink,” he said. “When he came back there was something, it just sort of changed. There was something about his manner that just got worse.
“I could tell that there was something not right.”
‘You drank that too quickly’
The court heard that it was when Rothwell went to pour himself another drink that an argument began, with the accused claiming Mr McTeir told him: “You drank that too quickly. Do you think I’m made of money?”
Rothwell told the court: “All I seem to remember is I went to go and get the vodka bottle and the next minute I have been hit across the face with something I can only describe as hard and heavy, I’m assuming it was the ash tray.”
Questioned over what happened next Rothwell said: “I’m only assuming that I have lashed out to defend myself from the attack.”
Forensic biologist Daniel Clarke told the court that Mr McTeir’s DNA was found in fingernail scrapings taken from Rothwell following the incident, but conceded this could have come from close social contact.
Both men had Rothwell’s blood on their clothing.
But taking the stand in his own defence he told the court that that was simply a reference to a text that McTeir would often send him if they had not seen each other for a while asking: “Is you deid?”
The trial, before Lord Arthurson, continues.
