A man accused of killing a community champion in the Highlands has been found guilty of murder – while his girlfriend was acquitted.
Michael White, 61, died in mysterious circumstances in Kyle of Lochalsh in April 2023.
There had originally been claims it was suicide but detectives became suspicious when a post-mortem showed Michael’s body had fractured ribs and internal injuries.
He was a former hotelier who worked as a life coach and raised money for victims of natural disasters – helping thousands of people around the world with his campaigning.
Michael had formed a friendship with Michael Joyce and Antonia Gunn, who lived near to his house.
But violent convicted criminal Joyce abused Michael’s good nature and physically assaulted him on multiple occasions.
Joyce then killed him at his home in Plock Road, Kyle.
Guilty verdict for violent thug Joyce
Joyce, 33 and Gunn, 27, had denied murdering Michael and a trial began at Edinburgh High Court a week ago.
Joyce was today convicted of Michael’s murder.
Gunn was acquitted of the charge on a unanimous “not proven” verdict.
The court heard that prior to his death, Joyce was taking Michael’s pension payments and withdrawing funds at cashpoints.
Michael had also asked loved ones for money at the behest of Joyce.
Prosecuting, Alex Prentice KC said there had been “a degree of control over the affairs of Mr White” with his income being redirected to the accused.
Following Mr White’s death a post-mortem was halted due to injuries found.
Victim’s body ‘was emaciated’
A second test led to pathologists ruling Michael died due to blunt force trauma of the trunk and heart disease.
He was found to be emaciated and very, very thin.
Peritonitis – a condition in the abdomen – had also set in which was an extremely painful experience as it developed, the court heard.
The trial judge, Lady Poole, told Joyce: “You have been convicted by the jury of murdering a 61-year-old man.
“The court also heard about your conduct towards him prior to his death.”
She told Joyce his behaviour was “despicable” and added: “Michael White’s past association with you is a tragedy for him and his family.”
Killer will serve life sentence
The judge told Joyce there was only one sentence for murder – life imprisonment.
But Lady Poole added that the minimum time Joyce must spend behind bars is still to be decided.
Lady Poole told jurors that it had been “a serious, distressing and unpleasant case”.
After the verdict the jury heard that Joyce has previous convictions, including for crimes of violence and dishonesty.
During the trial, Mr Prentice said: “Michael White died an agonising death on the weekend of April 22 2023 within (an address on) Plock Road – the then home of Antonia Gunn and Michael Joyce.”
The prosecutor said: “They were both present in the house during the events that led to his death and they both took steps to conceal what happened.
‘House was like a war zone’
“The evidence suggests he suffered significant blunt force trauma to the abdomen and that blunt force trauma caused his death,” he said.
Michael’s son Joshua told the court his father had suffered a stroke in 2021.
Joshua said that, after he learnt of his father’s death, he called Gunn and Joyce before travelling to Kyle with his half-brother Adam Gordon and others.
He said: “It was a shock, overwhelming for all of us. The state of the house.”
Describing the state of the house – the Old Bank Guest House on Main Street – Mr Gordon, 38, told the court: “It looked like a war zone.
“It was destroyed. One or two of the rooms may have been habitable but the rest were not.”
Joshua said Joyce claimed his dad had died happy as he had recently won a bet.
Joyce also tried to claim Michael had signed over all his assets to him – but he wasn’t going to take them up.
The court heard accounts from two neighbours who said Michael did everything for Joyce and Gunn.
Ruchele Cullen, 52, said: “He would drive for them. He was going to the shops for them. It seemed he would do almost everything for them.”
‘Distressing images of Michael’
“I thought he had cancer. He seemed to have lost a lot of weight quickly.”
During the trial, jurors were shown distressing video footage shot by Gunn featuring the half-naked, emaciated body of Mr White slumped in a shower.
Gunn told the court she was aware that Joyce was beating Michael but she was too scared to raise the alarm because he had beaten her before and she was pregnant at the time.
She had four children with him.
Gunn’s senior counsel Tony Lenehan KC said the court had heard that when Mr White received benefit payments they were transferred “pretty quickly” out of his account or withdrawn in cash.
Benefit claimant Gunn said: “I know it looks bad.”
She claimed Joyce was in charge of the money.
At the start of the trial, Joyce and Gunn had also been accused of keeping Michael as a slave, taking his money and staging his death as a suicide.
But those charges were withdrawn during the trial.
Detective Inspector Richard Baird, of Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, said: “Michael Joyce’s actions towards Michael White were utterly abhorrent.
“Initially following his death he attempted to present himself as a friend of Mr White, and it was only after a post-mortem that it became apparent he had in fact died as a result of injuries he had inflicted.
“We welcome this conviction and, while this cannot change what happened, Joyce will now face the consequences of his actions.”
Joyce will be sentenced on December 5.
Read more: The disturbing story behind Michael White’s tragic death