Taxi Driver Online

Doctor went to aid of ‘murdered’ Dundee taxi driver, court hears

Steven Greig, 47, has gone on trial at the High Court in Dundee and denies murdering Mr Ward on April 6 2022.

A quick-thinking doctor has described how she desperately tried to help an alleged murder victim who was “gurgling” blood as he lay on a busy Dundee road.

Dr Jennifer Rollo was on holiday with her family when she got out of her car on Coupar Angus Road to assist taxi driver Mark Ward, 54.

Jurors heard how Mr Ward was found bleeding from the nose, mouth and the back of his head after falling down an embankment across from Farmfoods in Lochee.

It was claimed that Mr Ward was involved in a struggle with another man who “casually” walked away from the scene.

Steven Greig, 47, is on trial at the High Court in Dundee and denies murdering Mr Ward on April 6 2022.

Significant bleeding

A joint minute of agreed evidence, read to the jury by advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC, revealed that Mr Ward died on April 5 2023 at Ninewells Hospital after previously requiring 24-hour care due to injuries he sustained.

In her evidence, Dr Rollo, a specialist trainee registrar in diabetes based in Glasgow, was a passenger in the car with her husband when she noticed Mr Ward lying on the road.

She told the court: “The man on the ground was flat on his back and having a seizure.

“His head was extended, his lower limbs were clenched and he was shaking back and forth. I think he was unconscious.

“There was a significant amount of blood on the ground. There was significant bleeding from the left side of his head.

“The left side of his face was very bruised, very swollen, quite disfigured. I couldn’t actually open his eye due to the severity of the swelling.”

Ms Rollo said she performed a “jaw thrust” in order to open Mr Ward’s airwaves after noting he was making “grunting and gurgling” noises.

999 call

Jurors were played a 999 call made by ground worker Matthew Coughlin who had been driving down Coupar Angus Road from Harefield Road.

The 50-year-old said he could see two men “wrestling” and “throwing punches” as he came down the hill before finding Mr Ward lying on the ground surrounded by blood.

In the frantic call, Mr Coughlin, who used a foreign male’s phone to make the call, said: “You better hurry up, I think this boy is awa to go.

“I dinna think this laddie is going to last it. Come on mate. You’ve got to try and stay awake, pal.”

Mr Coughlin said in evidence: “They were pulling and punching each other. It was only a matter of seconds.

“I seen a boy walking across the road and a boy on the deck. He was in a bad way.

“The other was walking across the road towards the multis, casually as anything.”

“I jumped out. I pulled over to the left. He was gurgling blood.”

Man was ‘very white’

Andrew Sutherland, 56, described how he pulled his HGV over to try and assist after seeing one man “tumbling downhill” before witnessing another walk away.

He said of the man on the road: “He was very white. He was gasping and gurgling. There was a lot of blood from his mouth and nose.

“It didn’t look like there was any possibility of CPR, not within my abilities, and he was shaking.”

Greig denies murdering Mr Ward by struggling and pushing him, causing him to fall down a grassy slope, landing on the road and striking his head before kicking or stamping on his head.

The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues.

Murder accused claimed Dundee taxi driver ‘threw him down embankment,’ jury hears

Steven Greig is said to have made comments to police after being arrested in connection with assaulting Mark Ward on Dundee's Coupar Angus Road.

A murder accused allegedly told police that he was thrown down a grass embankment by a taxi driver who refused to give him a cigarette.

Steven Greig is said to have made the comments after being arrested in connection with assaulting Mark Ward on Dundee’s Coupar Angus Road.

Mr Ward was found lying on the road after 1.30pm on April 6 2022 before being rushed to Ninewells Hospital.

The 54-year-old died a year later – on April 5 2023 – after succumbing to the traumatic head injuries he sustained.

Greig, 47, denies murdering Mr Ward and is on trial at the High Court in Dundee.

‘Fighting with a taxi driver’

Jurors heard claims on the second day of the trial that Greig made several comments to PC William Collins, the officer tasked with accompanying him in the back of a police van.

Greig had been arrested in connection with assaulting Mr Ward and was under caution at the time.

According to PC Collins, Greig said: “I asked him for a cigarette and he threw me down the f****** grass.

“Do you know he threw a bottle at me?

“I’m on five bails. That’s me f***** all because he wouldn’t give me a draw of a fag.”

Ring doorbell footage was played to the court of Greig visiting the home of his ex-partner’s mother on South Road earlier in the day.

Tracy Mudie said she wasn’t in a relationship at the time with Greig and had repeatedly told him to go away.

“He seemed like he was under the influence and quite angry,” the 47-year-old told advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC.

“He came to the door and said he had been fighting with a taxi driver over a fag, the taxi driver came after him and he slipped and stamped on his head.

Mr Mohammed asked: “When he was telling you this, what was his demeanour like?”

Ms Mudie replied: “Still angry. He said he had just done it. I didn’t believe him and just told him to eff off and go away.”

She told the court that she then saw blue lights flashing at the roundabout near Adamson Court.

‘Heavy handed’ policing?

Defence solicitor advocate Marco Guarino questioned Ms Mudie about the police’s “heavy-handed” approach towards her in the aftermath of the incident.

He said: “The police were quite firm with you because they still thought you had something to do with this.

“They wanted you to basically given them an alibi and they were somewhat heavy-handed.

“Can I suggest that Steven Greig never mentioned anything about stamping on the gentleman mentioned.

“Is it the case that he didn’t say that and what you were doing was anything you could to get back at him and get yourself out of the police firing line?”

This was denied by Ms Mudie.

Greig denies murdering Mr Ward by struggling and pushing him, causing him to fall down a grassy slope, landing on the road and striking his head before kicking or stamping on his head.

The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues.

BREAKING: Serial criminal found guilty of murdering Dundee taxi driver

Steven Greig was jailed in 2023 for assaulting Mr Ward to the danger of his life - now he has been convicted of his murder.

A callous killer is facing a life sentence after being found guilty of murdering a Dundee taxi driver in a row over a cigarette.

Steven Greig pushed 55-year-old Mark Ward down a grass embankment in Lochee before he struck his head off concrete on Coupar Angus Road.

Greig then stamped on his “defenceless” and “gravely injured” victim’s head before walking away from the scene on April 6 2022.

In January 2023, the 47-year-old was jailed for more than five years for assaulting Mr Ward to the danger of his life.

Mr Ward died almost exactly 12 months on from the cowardly attack with the court hearing of the extent of his catastrophic brain injuries.

Victim was ‘robbed of his life’

In a previous interview with The Courier, Mr Ward’s family described him as a “doting uncle” who was “robbed of his life”.

Greig may now have his previous conviction quashed after being found guilty at the High Court in Dundee of murdering Mr Ward by a majority verdict.

He slumped forward after the verdict was delivered and appeared to shake his head as he was led to the cells below the courtroom.

Judge Lady Drummond said: “The only sentence available to the court is life imprisonment.

“It is for the court to decide what the punishment part should be.”

Greig, 47, previously offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide but this was rejected by the Crown prior to the trial.

As a result, jurors were not permitted to acquit Greig and opted to find him guilty of murder by a majority following the three-day hearing.

Lady Drummond added: “These are rare situations where someone has already previously been convicted of a matter and prosecuted out of the same circumstances but for a different crime.”

Doctor rushed to his aid

The court was told how Mr Ward required round-the-clock care and was unable to properly speak or digest food due to the severity of his disabilities.

It was revealed that he died in hospital on April 5 2023 of a chronic lung infection linked to his brain trauma.

Jurors were told how eyewitnesses – including Good Samaritan doctor Jennifer Rollo – rushed to Mr Ward’s aid after finding him lying on his back and bleeding heavily from his mouth and the back of his head at around 1.30pm.

He also had fractures to the left side of his face with his eye so swollen that Dr Rollo could not open it.

Bus passenger Lewis Webster, 22, described seeing two men arguing before witnessing a “proper push” and one man walking away “unbothered”.

Ring doorbell footage captured Greig telling his ex-partner minutes after the eventually fatal attack: “I just battered a taxi driver.

“I asked him for a smoke and he came at me with an attitude so I went ‘ken what, f*** him.’”

More than 90 convictions

Greig would later say after his arrest: “I asked him for a cigarette and he threw me down the f****** grass.

“I’m on five bails. That’s me f***** all because he wouldn’t give me a draw of a fag.”

Advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC tendered a victim impact statement from Mr Ward’s family for the judge to consider at the sentencing hearing.

The prosecutor revealed that Greig had more than 90 previous convictions with his criminal record dating back to 1993.

Defence solicitor advocate Marco Guarino made a motion under the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act to have Greig’s previous assault conviction quashed.

The law protects individuals from being prosecuted for the same offence twice.

Greig, a prisoner at HMP Perth, will be sentenced in March at the High Court in Glasgow once a social work report has been prepared.

Well that's the second trial over on the more serious charge, but still no concrete evidence regarding how they came across each other. Was it job-related?

As previously, you can see the electric charging station at the top of one of the photos, and there's a shedload of EVs (HC and PH) in Dundee, so still don't know if the driver might have been at the charging points

Think the journalist is getting very confused.

A jury is allowed to do what they think fit.

_________________
IDFIMH

Couldn't make sense of that myself Sussex, but having reread it in conjunction with the previous paragraph, it does seem logical:


What I think it means is that because Greig offered to plead guilty to culpable homicide, but the prosecutor wouldn't accept that, then the jury could find him guilty of either murder or culpable homicide, but couldn't acquit him.

Basically, he'd admitted to a crime on the facts, but the Crown wanted to prosecute him for a more serious offence than he'd admitted to, so the jury could find him guilty of either culpable homicide or murder, but couldn't acquit him

It's maybe a Scots law quirk, so might not happen down your way...

Out of all those press reports over the last couple of years, the first hint that it all kicked off at the EV charging station in the photo:

Interesting Courier piece here, but not sure if there's much new to anyone who's been reading it from day 1, apart from some wee nuggets about evidence and procedure etc.

But, of course, from the press perspective none of the stuff about the earlier conviction could be mentioned once the driver had died and the murder charge was instigated, because to publish the earlier stuff would have jeopardized a fair trial on the later charge

So in a way the Courier is just letting it all go, and outlining the stuff they weren't allowed to mention during the second trial process.

Anyway, not sure if all this is explained as clearly as it could be. In particular, the point of confusion above about the jury not being able to acquit is still a tad mysterious.

Another example is right at the end, when the double jeopardy stuff is bit confusing - but if you go back up to near the top of the article where it says in bold that the Courier will explain 'How Greig’s original conviction may be quashed', then that sheds a bit more light on the double jeopardy stuff - if the q-word had been used near the bottom of the article in the paragraphs about the double jeopardy thing, then it might have made slightly more sense, in my opinion at least

But, of course, still nothing really about the job angle, and how precisely the two came into contact in the first place...


Key evidence that secured Dundee taxi driver killer’s conviction – and ‘rare situation’ cited by judge

How prosecutors built their case against murderer Steven Greig, already in jail for his assaulting victim Mark Ward.

Almost three years have passed since Mark Ward was pushed to his eventual death from a steep embankment in Lochee.

The consequences of that mindless attack in the middle of a routine day led to nearly 12 months of torture for Mr Ward and his family.

His loved ones could only watch in anguish as he endured the cruellest demise possible, left severely disabled and requiring 24-hour care for catastrophic brain injuries.

It was all because Steven Greig wanted a cigarette.

Greig is now facing a life sentence after being found guilty at the High Court in Dundee of murdering Mr Ward, a former taxi driver, as a result of that assault on April 6 2022.

The road to that conviction has been convoluted as Greig, 47, previously admitted assaulting Mr Ward to the danger of his life.

In January 2023, he was sentenced to five years and four months in prison at the High Court Edinburgh – three months before Mr Ward eventually died on April 5 2023.

Today, The Courier explores:

The key evidence that led to the jury’s verdict

The story behind the “unusual” second prosecution

How Greig’s original conviction may be quashed


The murder charge

Greig was initially charged with assaulting Mr Ward to his severe injury and to the danger of his life and tendered a guilty plea via Section 76 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act in December 2022 at the High Court in Edinburgh.

In simple terms, a plea of guilty at the earliest opportunity on indictment.

Following his sentence, Greig was hauled back into Dundee Sheriff Court in June 2023 and initially appeared on petition in connection with Mr Ward’s death.

The Crown Office eventually charged Greig with murdering Mr Ward by pushing him down the embankment, causing him to strike his head on Coupar Angus Road and kicking him on the head – the charge he previously admitted.

On the day of his trial, Greig offered to plead guilty to a lesser charge of culpable homicide.

This was rejected by advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC.

The consequence of this plea meant that jurors could not acquit Greig and were ordered to find him guilty of murder or culpable homicide.

The eyewitnesses

Jurors heard how two drivers and a doctor on holiday did their best to help Mr Ward.

Dr Jennifer Rollo performed a “jaw thrust” to stop the former City Cabs and NCR worker from “gurgling” blood.

Matthew Coughlin, who made the 999 call, and lorry driver Andrew Sutherland both saw two men “tumbling” down the slope, near Farmfoods.

They along with bus passenger Lewis Webster saw one man walking away “unbothered”.

Mr Coughlin bluntly said this was “casually as f***”.

Mr Webster went one step further to say he witnessed Mr Ward receive a “proper push” from the bus window.

Greig was again described as nonchalantly walking away from the scene in the direction of Adamson Court.

‘I’ve just battered a taxi driver’

Mr Mohammed opened his speech to the jury with Greig’s admission to his former partner that would eventually seal his fate.

“I’ve just battered a taxi driver.

“I asked him for a smoke and he came at me with an attitude so I went ‘ken what, f*** him’.”

Those remarks – minutes after the attack – were recorded on a Ring doorbell from South Road.

Following his arrest, Greig would later tell police: “I’m on five bails. That’s me f***** all because he wouldn’t give me a draw of a fag.”

Dr Rollo described facial injuries on the left side of Mr Ward’s face and stated to the court that she could not open his left eye because of how badly it was swollen.

Defence solicitor Marco Guarino argued this could have been due to hitting his head off rocks which formed part of the embankment surface.

While medical and pathological experts agreed with this possibility, the injuries were also consistent with Mr Ward being stamped on.

Blood-stained trainers

As part of the investigation, police seized Greig’s Nike trainers as well as the jumper seeped with blood that Mr Ward was wearing.

The victim’s blood was detected on both sets of shoes around the front toe area.

While not noticeably bloody, the shoes were shown to the jury by forensic biologist Christopher Hall.

The only witness who mentioned a stamp or kick was Tracy Mudie, Greig’s former partner, who claimed he told her he had “stamped” on Mr Ward after “slipping”.

Double jeopardy

Following Greig’s conviction, Mr Guarino made a motion under the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act.

Enshrined in Scots law, double jeopardy prevents someone being tried twice for the same crime.

The trial judge, Lady Drummond, acknowledged that this was a “rare situation”.

She said: “On the face of it, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for someone to have two convictions which arise out of the same circumstances.

“A more serious conviction, the murder, on a common-sense view would trump the assault.”

The Crown and defence will make submissions on this issue at the sentencing hearing in March prior to Lady Drummond revealing how long Greig will serve in prison.

so after all that he might get off on a technicality ! the animal needs caging for life !

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

What was I saying about the article not being entirely clear?

I don't think there's any possibility of the perp getting off on a 'technicality' - basically he's guilty of two charges (serious assault and murder) over the same act, which is against the principle of double jeopardy.

So basically the possibility of something being 'quashed' is in relation to the conviction for assault.

What practical difference it will make if the assault sentence is quashed is beyond me - presumably something to do with the sentencing, and what happens to him years down the line, but who knows?

No.

_________________
IDFIMH

Lots of rehash here, at least for anyone who's read all this previously.

And, in terms of the trade per se, none of this is particularly interesting, I suppose

Anyway, I think the references to Wednesday below should really read 'today', but I'd guess this has been drafted for Thursday's Courier, hence the references to Wednesday...


Dundee taxi driver murderer sacks lawyers, delaying sentencing

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/co ... s-lawyers/

A judge urged Steven Greig to get fresh representation before he is jailed for life.

The sentence of a rampant criminal who murdered a Dundee taxi driver after a row over a cigarette has been delayed after he sacked his lawyers.

Steven Greig pushed Mark Ward down a steep embankment in Lochee on April 6 2022 before stamping on his head and “casually” walking away.

Mr Ward, a driver with City Cabs, suffered catastrophic brain injuries from the mindless attack and died in hospital almost exactly 12 months later aged 55.

Greig was caught bragging about the sickening assault before telling police: “I’m on five bails. That’s me f***** all because he wouldn’t give me a draw of a fag.”

The 47-year-old was found guilty by a majority verdict at the High Court in Dundee of murdering Mr Ward in an extremely rare case of double jeopardy and will be hit with a life sentence.

However, it has now been revealed that Greig binned his lawyers just minutes after being convicted.

He was due to be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday.

Sacked lawyers

Greig told judge Lady Drummond: “I just wanted to get sentenced and get it over and done with.

“I just think I would be better defending myself to be honest.

“Nobody ever listened to a thing I have said in this case.”

Defence counsel Marco Guarino said: “Immediately following the verdict of the jury in Dundee, we consulted in the cells and at that particular point in time, in no uncertain terms, Mr Greig wished to dispense with the services of counsel and solicitors.

“Some things happen in the heat of the moment. It’s obviously an emotional situation.”

Mr Guarino said a video consultation was arranged with Greig, who was also written to in HMP Perth, but he did not engage.

On the morning of his sentencing, Greig also refused to see his now former legal team in the cells.

Greig did comply with a social work interview with a report highlighting his criticisms of the verdict but made no mention of his representation.

He previously offered to plead guilty to a lesser charge of culpable homicide but this was rejected by advocate depute Mark Mohammed KC.

In January 2023, Greig was jailed for five years and four months for assaulting Mr Ward to the danger of his life.

Mr Ward was still alive at this point but required 24-hour care after being left severely disabled.

He died at Ninewells Hospital on April 5 2023 of a chronic lung infection linked to his brain trauma.

The ex-NCR worker’s family previously described Mr Ward as a “doting uncle” who was “robbed of his life”.

Life sentence warning

The Courier previously outlined the key pieces of evidence that led to Greig’s conviction including eyewitness testimony, Ring doorbell footage and Greig’s blood-stained trainers.

Bus passenger Lewis Webster told jurors he saw Greig deliver a “proper push” to Mr Ward before he fell down the slope and onto Coupar Angus Road at around 1.30pm.

Greig was seen to walk away “unbothered” with a Good Samaritan doctor racing to Mr Ward’s aid to perform a “jaw thrust” to stop him gurgling blood.

Dr Jennifer Rollo also noted Mr Ward could not open his left eye because of how badly swollen it was. Prosecutors argued this was consistent with a stamp attack.

Greig’s chilling admission about the assault – which had taken place minutes earlier – to his former partner Tracy Mudie was captured on Ring footage from an address in South Road.

He said: “I’ve just battered a taxi driver.

“I asked him for a smoke and he came at me with an attitude so I went ‘ken what, f*** him’.”

On Wednesday, Lady Drummond told Greig: “You are facing a life sentence here.

“It’s really important to have someone represent you.

“The punishment part of it is for the court to decide.

“You are going to get the chance to get a lawyer to tell them what you want to say in mitigation.”

The next hearing will take place in April at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Almost didn't bother reading this properly, but after umpteen articles, thousands of words and loads of speculation about it all by me on here, finally confirmation of how the pair came to meet. And just how I thought it would be


Dundee man to serve at least 16 years of life sentence behind bars for taxi driver murder

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/co ... xi-driver/

Steven Greig was sentenced for the second time for killing taxi driver Mark Ward.

A serial criminal who murdered a Dundee taxi driver was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 16 years in prison after his second prosecution for the attack.

Steven Greig, 47, pushed taxi driver Mark Ward down a grassy slope and then repeatedly kicked and stamped on the defenceless victim’s head on April 6 2022, before abandoning him to his fate.

The assault resulted in catastrophic consequences for Mr Ward, 55, who was left in need of round-the-clock care after sustaining serious head injuries.

He died almost a year to the day of the attack from the injuries he sustained at the hands of Greig.

The repeat offender was originally jailed in January 2023 for five years and four months after admitting assaulting Mr Ward to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment and to the danger of his life.

But following the victim’s death on April 5 that year the Crown raised a fresh prosecution against Greig, accusing him of murder.

Greig denied this but was found guilty at a trial earlier this year after a jury rejected his claim he should be convicted of the lesser offence of culpable homicide.

Greig had been freed under five separate bail orders at Dundee Sheriff Court when he carried out the fatal attack at Coupar Angus Road.

The case was deferred and moved from Dundee after Greig sacked his lawyers and tried to be sentenced without representation.

On Thursday, the High Court in Edinburgh heard how Greig came across Mr Ward as he charged his electric taxi and was refused a cigarette.

He battered him after pushing him down the embankment.

Judge Lady Drummond said: “You immediately then walked away without stopping or showing any concern for him.”

She said the injuries he sustained and his subsequent death had “a devastating impact” on relatives of the deceased, who was a much loved man.

The judge noted unemployed Greig, from Dundee, suffered adverse childhood experiences and began using drugs from an early age.

He amassed 189 previous convictions from the age of 16, including for assault.

Lady Drummond told Greig – following proceedings via a link to prison – a social work background report assessed him as posing a very high risk of reoffending.

She added: “The author notes you have shown no meaningful remorse for your actions.”

She told the murderer he would have to serve 16 years in prison before he is eligible to seek release but any decision would lie with the parole authorities.

Lady Drummond quashed Greig’s previous conviction for seriously assaulting Mr Ward under double jeopardy legislation as it has been superseded by the murder conviction.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson KC said Greig was previously assaulted, which had caused him problems in his life and he may be suffering from complex PTSD.

He said: “Clearly what happened in relation to the incident on April 6 in 2022 was not pre-planned or premeditated.”

Double jeopardy

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This is a rare situation where someone has already previously been convicted of a crime and is prosecuted again under the same circumstances but for a different crime.

“As prosecutors, we have worked hard to deliver justice for Mark Ward and his family in what have been particularly traumatic circumstances for them since the assault in April 2022. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.

“Steven Greig’s appalling actions robbed a much-loved family man of his life following a shocking attack. He will now serve a lengthy prison sentence for his crime.”

Detective Inspector Craig Kelly said: “Mark Ward endured a violent and unprovoked attack as he was going about a normal working day.

“Our thoughts remain with his family and friends who have also suffered immensely because of Greig’s brutal actions.

“We hope his sentencing today will bring them some form of comfort.

“Thankfully crimes like these are extremely rare in our communities.

“When such incidents take place, we will use every resource at our disposal to ensure we track down those responsible and bring them to justice.”

I remember when reading about EVs first coming to Dundee years ago that the thought of fannying around at some kind of charging point at 4am somewhere in the city didn't exactly seem enticing, and that was even when I'd been out of the Dundee trade for at least a decade.

But didn't envisage this kind of thing early afternoon

These are the Courier's photos in the article, but most of them can be seen further up the thread, or have been on here previously.

But the middle one isn't in this thread, and also shows the charging point in close up


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