Heroin death trial collapses

Christine Gray - Christine Gray • Published 14 Mar 2008 12:00

A GREENOCK man charged with causing a joiner"s death by injecting him with a lethal dose of heroin walked free from the High Court yesterday after the trial collapsed.

Prosecuting advocate depute Alastair Kennedy revealed, having reviewed the evidence, he would be proceeding no further against Stuart Arthur, 40, of Florence Street, Greenock.

Lord Emslie discharged jurors and told Arthur he was acquitted of the charges against him.

Mr Arthur had denied culpably and recklessly supplying "a potentially lethal drug" - diamorphine - and injecting it into Scott McEwan, who later died, to the danger of his health, safety and life, preparing an injection and tying a tourniquet around his arm, injecting him with the drug, and killing him at that address on 6 March last year.

Mr Arthur also denied supplying diazepam at Mary Street, Greenock, between 23 September, 2006 and 23 March, last year.

The court had heard family and friends were stunned when Scott died and sparked the prosecution.

Scott, 36, liked a drink and occasionally used cannabis, but had only dabbled twice with hard drugs, the court heard.

Devastated by the death of his father four years ago, he had been prescribed anti-depressants and before his death had started work with Homebase in Greenock.

Describing the shock of being told his younger brother had died, Robert McEwan, a finance officer with Inverclyde Council, said that he was told the tragic news by a cousin who came to his door in the early hours of the morning on 7 March last year.

Scott had lived with his mother in the town"s Finnart Street at the time, and he went there to break the grim news but found out on arrival she already knew.

As the trial was due to continue, the Advocate Depute told Lord Emslie: 'Having reviewed the evidence led and that which is still to be led, I have come to the conclusion that the Crown will not be able to produce corroborated evidence and as a consequence, withdraw the libel.'

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 14 Mar 08

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