An alleged victim of threats by two men facing a murder charge said he was called a “beast, rat” and told he was “getting it” by them in various incidents.
James Whyte told the High Court in Edinburgh he believed he was caught up in the situation because of his friendship with Sam Wilkie, who was involved in an on-off relationship with a girl called Nicola Matthews – a former partner of murder accused Steven Dickie.
Dickie, Callum Davidson and Tasmin Glass, all from Kirriemuir, are on trial over the killing of 27-year-old Aberdeen oil worker Steven Donaldson, whose body was found at Kinnordy Loch nature reserve, near Kirriemuir, last June.
On the second day of evidence, the focus of the trial switched to other charges faced by Dickie and Davidson, including one of behaving in a threatening manner towards Mr Whyte and Mr Wilkie between January 2014 and June 2018 by making threats, following them on foot and by car and presenting weapons at them.
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Mr Whyte, 24, told advocate depute Ashley Edwards in evidence about an incident in Kirriemuir, possibly around the summer of 2016 in which he and Mr Wilkie were followed by an Audi being driven by Davidson.
When the vehicles stopped, Dickie got out of the car and the witness said: “He came to my side to try to pull the door open, I managed to pull it shut. When we were in The Square to start with they were putting hand gestures up and saying that we were going to get it,” he said.
Dickie, Davidson, both 24, and 20-year-old Glass deny attacking Mr Donaldson at Kirriemuir’s Peter Pan playpark before taking him to the Loch of Kinnordy nature reserve on the outskirts of the Angus town where they allegedly set fire to the 27-year-old and his car last June.
The trial, before judge Lord Pentland, continues.
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