Woman tells trial man jumped out of second-floor flat window

A woman has told a trial that a man found in a Dundee street with fatal injuries had jumped out of the window of a second-floor flat in front of her.

Jennifer Souter, along with Stephen Stewart and Victoria McGowan, are accused of killing Ryan Munro at a flat in Morgan Street in January 2024.

All three deny placing Mr Munro in an "extreme state of fear and alarm for his safety" causing him to escape from the flat by a window, resulting in him falling and hitting the ground.

Ms Souter was giving evidence at the trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Ms Souter, 39, told the court that she was a sex worker who had been taking drugs since she was 18 years old.

She said around the time of the incident she was using crack cocaine and valium.

She said she was selling drugs for her co-accused Mr Stewart and Ms McGowan and that business was "busy all the time".

Ms Souter said Mr Munro arrived at the flat and she let him in.

She said she had passed out and came round to find the flat door was open and she had missed calls from Mr Stewart and Ms McGowan.

Ms Souter said she called Mr McGowan and found out that drugs were missing.

She said: "I took a fit and I didn't know what had happened."

She said Mr Munro came back to the flat and Mr Stewart and Ms McGowan, who had also returned, asked him if he took the drugs, which he denied.

Ms Souter said that Mr Munro sent £200 to the bank account of Ramsay El-Nakla but Mr Stewart and Ms McGowan wanted more money from him.

Mr El-Nakla, the brother in law of former first minister Humza Yousaf, was acquitted of extorting money from Mr Munro at the flat and alleged drug offences last week after prosecutors accepted his not guilty pleas.

He was not charged over Mr Munro's death.

Ms Souter denied that Mr Munro was a hostage and said he was free to leave at any time.

She told the court that while she was sitting on a bed in the flat Mr Munro "opened the window and jumped out."

Ms Souter's defence solicitor advocate James Keegan asked her if he said anything and she replied: "No."

Ms Souter said she was scared and panicked and left the flat.

She told the trial earlier that Mr El Nakla had arrived at the flat when Ryan Munro was present and threatened him.

She said she was at the flat with Mr Stewart, Ms McGowan and Mr Munro, and Mr El-Nakla made the threats that "his legs would be broken and he would be battered."

Mr Keegan asked Ms Souter: "Was he going to be the person doing that?"

She replied: "I don't know."

The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues.