Fatal knife wound went through ex-soldier’s heart, murder trial told

AN Inverness woman charged with killing her ex-partner with a knife shouted at police "I’m a murderer, I’m a murderer," as detectives took swabs of blood from her hands, a murder trial was told today.

And a consultant pathologist who carried out a post-mortem examination on David McLaughlan, told a jury the ex-soldier died from a single stab wound which went right through his heart.

Dr Rosslyn Rankin (55) said on the fifth day of the trial of 35-year-old Yvonne Lambert she did not think such a wound which cut through bone could have been inflicted accidentally.

Lambert (35) of The Brackens, Leachkin Road, Inverness, denies murdering father-of three Mr McLaughlan (44) after they had been drinking together at his home in Maxwell Drive last July by striking him with a knife or bladed instrument. She also denies trying to pervert the course of justice by washing her body, hands and knives in an attempt to remove traces of blood.

The court had already heard evidence that Mr McLaughlan had been drinking the day before his death with two friends Brian Kelly (23) and Craig Cornish (27).

Lambert faces further charges of assaulting all three men in an incident at 11 Maxwell Drive the night before Mr McLaughlan’s death.

Her mother Iona told the court her daughter left her home in St Valery Avenue at 2.30am on the morning of Mr McLaughlan’s death and went to his house. Although separated they were still on friendly terms and she sometimes went round there for a drink.

She told her mother after her release on bail that it had all been an accident and Mr McLaughlan had "walked right into the knife"

On the fifth day of the trial today police constable Danielle Morrall (30) told the court she was at the scene in Maxwell Drive where she described Lambert as hysterical, crying, screaming and shouting "Oh my god is he OK, over and over again."

Constable Morrall said she had to take Lambert’s clothing at Burnett Road police station and she was given a white suit to wear.

She attended with CID officers when swabs were taken about 8.45am.

Asked by Advocate Depute Robert Weir for the Crown if she said anything, PC Morrall said Lambert shouted: "It’s obviously his blood, I’m a murderer."

She said she could smell alcohol in the car from her breath.

Detective Constable Christopher Macleod (31), who was taking the swabs, said Lambert asked him a number of times if he was dead and he told her he didn’t know.

"Then she started screaming ‘I’m a murderer, I’m a murderer’," said Det Const Macleod.

Cross examined by defence QC Jock Thomson, Det Const Macleod was asked if he was aware that one of the charges Lambert faced was she attempted to defeat the ends of justice by washing her hands yet in the detective’s notes he said her hands were covered in blood.

Det Const Macleod said he was not aware that she had been charged with that.

"It’s my perception. I use the word covered. There was blood around her fingernails." He said there was also blood in her hair.

Pathologist Dr Rankin carried out the post-mortem on Mr McLaughlan on July 15 and 16 with colleague Natasha Inglis.

She said Mr McLaughlan died from a gaping single stab wound 3.4 centimetres long to the left side of his chest which transfixed his heart resulting a fatal haemorrhage.

She said there was bruising to his right upper arm, swelling behind his left ear, scratches on his forearm and a bruise on his wrist and grazing on his knuckle and bruising to his left shin. She said some of the marks could have been caused by medical intervention.

The wound track she said measured 14 centimetres between the two lungs entered the heart, inwards and downwards and to the left.

The wound continued through the heart through the diaphragm and into the liver. Cause of death was blood loss around the heart and left lung cavity which would invariably lead to death.

She said two ribs were also damaged which indicated force must have been used to cut through the bone. As long as the knife was sharp she said the injury could have been caused using "moderate" force.

Mr Thomson asked the pathologist if during the course of her career was she aware of incidents where a victim had walked into a knife.

"It’s a hypothesis that has been put. But I can confidently say I have not come across it."

Asked if it was possible the victim walked or stumbled into the knife in this case, she replied:

"I don’t think that would have been possible because of the downward direction of the knife."

She said: "It was not a prod, poke or jab."

The doctor was shown three knives two of which she said could have inflicted the wound. Both were 200 millimetres long and one was 20mm at the hilt and one was 30mm at the hilt.

A toxicology report showed Mr McLaughlan had 237mcgs of alcohol per 100mls of blood at the time of his death which is over three times the legal limit for driving,

The trial continues.

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