An Aberdeen bouncer has been cleared of murdering a north-east dad outside a city centre bar.
Jonas Marcius had been on trial at the High Court in Aberdeen for the last three weeks accused of murdering 26-year-old Craig Grant outside Tonik in Bon Accord Street.
Marcius denied the charge, which was alleged to have taken place between August 8 and 9 this year, and his counsel Mark Stewart QC lodged a special defence of self defence.
Marcius, of 16 Merkland Road, Aberdeen, was alleged to have killed him by seizing him by the neck and forcing him to the ground before placing him in a choke hold and compressing his neck.
And this afternoon a jury found him guilty of assaulting the young dad and deleted all reference to killing him after they ruled he was not responsible for his death.
During the trial CCTV footage showing the moment Mr Grant was taken to the ground and restrained by three bouncers was repeatedly played to the court.
Adrian Morely, who could be seen holding his legs, and Kiel Hauley, who was restraining his arm up his back, had also been on trial accused of murdering the young dad.
However after more than a week of evidence advocate depute James Keegan, QC, prosecuting, decided to drop the charge against Morley and accepted Hauley’s plea to a lesser charge of assault.
It was alleged that while the other two were restraining Mr Grant in that way Marcius had him in a head lock.
The Crown argued throughout the trial it was this action which killed Mr Grant by causing his airways to be restricted.
However while acting for the accused throughout the trial, Mr Stewart argued it was not possible to determine the cause of death, given cocaine was found within his system during examination.
Giving evidence for the defence earlier this week forensic pathologist Dr Marjorie Turner said that in her opinion she could not rule out that Mr Grant’s death might have been caused by an irregular heart beat brought on by his use of the class-A drug.
She said: “There is no way that you can definitively tell that this man died from mechanical asphyxiation of the neck when you have two potential causes.”