A woman accused of murdering an Aberdeen pensioner was a regular customer at a pawnbrokers in the months before the death, a court has heard.
Louise Simpson, 34, a manager at a Ramsden’s branch in Aberdeen, said she got to know Sharyn Stewart, 53, through her work.
Ms Simpson, of Aberdeen, was giving evidence on the third day of proceedings against Stewart, who denies murdering 65-year-old Alan Cowie.
Prosecutors claim that on April 18 2017 Stewart attempted to murder Mr Cowie at his home in the city’s Alexander Terrace by pushing him and repeatedly kicking him on his head and body.
She also allegedly placed a plastic bag over his head and restricted his breathing.
The Crown also claims that on January 2 2018 Stewart murdered Mr Cowie by striking him on the head and body with a bottle before knocking him to the ground.
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It is also claimed that during the alleged assault Stewart stood on Mr Cowie’s neck and restricted his breathing, causing his death.
Yesterday the High Court in Edinburgh heard Ms Simpson say she personally served the accused two or three times.
But she said a check of records showed that Stewart had made 20 transactions in total at the branch.
She said that on each occasion, Stewart had returned to redeem the items she had pawned in the shop and that on a couple of occasions, Stewart was with a man, who was not tall and appeared to be in his late 50s.
She said: “A couple of times I was redeeming the pledges. He wanted to pay the outstanding balance so she could get her jewellery back.”
Ms Simpson said he did not seem very pleased he was paying for the items.
A statement of evidence which has been agreed between prosecutors and Ms Stewart’s lawyers also states that their client caused Mr Cowie’s death by assaulting him.
She has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Her lawyer Stephen O’Rourke has lodged a special defence which states that his client didn’t murder Mr Cowie because her “ability to determine or control her conduct was substantially impaired by reason of abnormality of mind”.
The trial, before Lord Pentland, continues.
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