'Murdered' pensioner weighed five stone at time of death, court hears

A pensioner who prosecutors say was murdered as a result of an attack at his home weighed five stone at the time of his death, a court heard.

William Lambie, 97, weighed 32 kilograms and was 5ft 1in when his remains were examined by consultant pathologist Dr Tamara McNamee.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Friday how the 39-year-old medic examined Mr Lambie’s body following his death in May 2024.

The Crown claims that Mr Lambie was murdered by a woman called Tandy Swinton, 44, who allegedly assaulted him at his home in Dryburgh Gardens, Dundee, on April 15, 2024.

She is accused of demanding money from him and pushing him on the body, whereby he fell to the ground to his severe injury and as a consequence of the injury he later died.

The jury heard how Mr Lambie’s mood suffered following the alleged assault and that he started to not take food in the weeks after the alleged incident.

On Friday, Dr McNamee, who gave evidence via video link, said the cause of Mr Lambie’s death was “gastrointestinal haemorrhage” and gastric “erosions” and “duodenal ulcers”. Factors which contributed to his death included heart disease and a “surgical repair” to a fractured thighbone, which took place two days after the alleged assault.

She told prosecutor Adrian Stalker that the effect of the alleged attack may have created the circumstances which led ultimately to Mr Lambie’s death.

The jury was shown a report written by Dr McNamee. It stated: “It is thought that the combined effect of the pain and physiological stress of the assault with the neck of femur fracture and the assault has likely predisposed to the development of gastric erosion and duodenal ulcers.”

The evidence emerged on the third day of proceedings against Swinton, who is standing trial for murder.

The Crown alleges that Swinton murdered Mr Lambie and attempted to rob him of money at his home.

Swinton is accused of demanding money from Mr Lambie and pushing him on the body, whereby he fell to the ground to his severe injury, and as a consequence of the injury, he later died.

She is also accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice on the same date by seizing his community alarm, attempting to prevent him from calling for assistance and when a connection was made, informing the operator that there were no issues and no assistance was required.

Swinton is further accused of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on various occasions on April 14 and 15 last year at another flat in the multi-storey block at Dryburgh Gardens by repeatedly ringing the doorbell at the property of Margaret Chalmers, 82, who is now deceased, and asking her to give her money.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial, before judge Lord Harrower, continues.