An electrician is facing life in jail after being found guilty of murdering his friend of 10 years in a row over money.
Grandad-to-be Malcolm Wright died in hospital five days after being attacked by Gary Crossan at an address in Peterhead earlier this year.
But last night, his family said there were “no hard feelings” and that they would not be celebrating the verdict as two families’ lives had been destroyed.
At the High Court in Aberdeen yesterday, Crossan was convicted of murdering Mr Wright, 56, by punching him repeatedly, kicking him and stamping on his head.
The jury of 11 women and four men took just 35 minutes to dismiss the 31-year-old’s claims that he had not intended to kill his friend. Crossan showed no emotion as the majority verdict was read out, but family members from both sides were visibly upset.
Afterwards, Mr Wright’s sister Caroline Chandler said: “We’re not going to be celebrating outside the court, that would be disrespectful to the other family, two families have been destroyed by this.”
She paid tribute to her brother, and revealed he would have been a grandfather this month.
“He was a friendly person, he liked to be liked,” she said.
“He had his demons with alcohol which go all the way back to before he joined the army.
“He was a family man, his eldest daughter is pregnant and he would have been a grandfather this month.
“That would have made him very happy.”
During the trial, the jury heard Crossan did “not care” whether he lived or died.
The court was shown footage of Crossan taunting his victim while he lay on the floor, unable to get up on January 26 this year. He was also heard shouting at him repeatedly “when am I going to get my money?” and urged him to smile for a photograph.
But Crossan told the jury he had only hit Mr Wright as he thought he was going to lash out first, and was “devastated” when he discovered his friend had died from brain injuries – insisting he did not mean to kill him.
In his closing speech, advocate depute Alan Cameron said: “He was a man with a history of violence against Mr Wright, who could not let subjects go.
“He was a man who kicked and stamped on his friend.
“He was a man who did not care if his friend lived or died, a man who is a murderer.
However, defence counsel Shelagh McCall said Crossan’s actions after the attack showed he was not a murderer.
She said: “After this he dragged him to bed and took his jacket off because he was worried he was too hot.
“The next day he ordered him a takeaway and said he would be starving when he got up.
“Is this a man with a wicked disregard for whether he lived or died?”
Mr Wright was taken to hospital after being found injured in Peter Buchan Drive, and died a week later.
Last night, Detective Inspector Stewart Drummond described Mr Wright’s death as a “brutal murder” and welcomed Crossan’s conviction.
“Crossan launched a horrific attack on his victim, causing injuries so severe that he would spend his final days in intensive care and never recover.
“From the outset Crossan went to great lengths to cover up his involvement in Mr Wright’s death, however there is no doubt that he meant to cause him severe harm.
Judge Lord Matthews deferred sentence for background reports, but warned he would inevitably face life imprisonment. He will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on November 7.
THE BACKGROUND
Electrician Gary Crossan first met Malcolm Wright around 10 years ago when living in Newbury in Berkshire.
It was joked among friends that Mr Wright, 56, was his step-dad because of the age difference between the two.
Mr Wright carried out numerous bits of work for 31-year-old Crossan over the years.
The pair moved to Peterhead in September last year, looking for a change of scene.
It is understood Crossan was a notorious figure in the pubs in Newbury, but decided to move elsewhere after being barred from almost all of them.
And last night, locals in Berkshire described him as a “bully” who used Mr Wright, known to friends as Raggie.
Shopkeeper Jan Smith said: “Raggie was a lovely guy. I’d known him for 40 years. If you needed something he would always try to help.
“He was a bit of a drifter but he was harmless and thought Crossan was his friend. He was easily led, I’m sad to say.”
After moving to Peterhead, Mr Wright struggled to pay the rent and he was kicked out of the house he and Crossan were sharing on Peter Buchan Drive.
He obtained homeless accommodation through Aberdeenshire Council but reunited with his friend in January.
The pair went for drinks in the Grange in Pub on January 25 and then went back to the house.
Once there Crossan lost his temper and began demanding money owed for rent and bills and attacked the man he referred to as “one of his best friends.”
He confessed to being guilty of culpable homicide from the start but denied murder.
And during the trial, he told the jury he was “devastated” that two punches had resulted in his friend’s death.
