A TWENTY year old man has gone on trial accused of murdering Greenock resident Michael Mearns in the town’s cemetery.

Scott Rooney denies killing the 56-year-old by striking him on the head with a brick at the cemetery in South Street, Greenock, on July 30 last year.

Yesterday, at the High Court in Glasgow, agreed facts about the case were read to the jury by Crown junior Kelly Duling.

Jurors were told that a 999 call was made just after 8pm on July 30, 2015 and Mr Mearns was taken to the accident and emergency department at Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

He was unconscious and had a injury at his right ear. 

A CT scan revealed bleeding on the brain and the injury was confirmed as non-survivable by a neuro-surgeon, with Mr Mearns pronounced dead at 12.36pm the following day.

The jury heard that a blood sample was taken from Mr Mearns at 9.10pm on July 30, 2015 and showed a reading of 108 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Miss Duling said: “Blood alcohol concentrations in excess of 100 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood have been associated with emotional instability, impaired balance and drowsiness.

“Individual tolerance with alcohol must be considered when interpreting the significance of these findings.”

The jury was told that CCTV footage shows Rooney and Crown witness Dean Footit walking into the main entrance of the cemetery at 7.55pm.

It is agreed that less than four minutes later Rooney dialled 112 and as a result of that call a police controller requested an ambulance crew to attend at Greenock Cemetery.

Mr Footit dialled 999 at 8.02pm. The jury was also told that an accident and emergency nurse from Inverclyde Royal had parked in Greenock Cemetery just after 8pm.

As she got out of her vehicle her attention was drawn to the area in the cemetery near an electricity sub-station by two boys – one wearing a blue top and the other a grey tracksuit.

When she walked over towards then she saw a man lying on his left side and recognised him as Mr Mearns from her work as an A&E nurse.

He had a burst wound on his right ear and she described the boys as ‘baulking everywhere’ on seeing the injury.

The nurse assisted the paramedic who arrived in response to the 999 call and ended up with blood on her face and all up her arms.

She did not see any obvious signs of blood on either of the boys.

That night Rooney, of East Street in Greenock, was wearing a grey tracksuit and Mr Footit was wearing a blue tracksuit.

Rooney, who is represented by defence QC Brian McConnachie, was arrested on August 26, 2015. 

The trial before Lord Clark continues.