Methven jury is urged to convict

Saturday 18 August 2012

A PROSECUTOR has urged a jury to find William Kean guilty of the "savage, brutal murder" of 80-year-old Jenny Methven.

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Wilma Riley

Advocate depute Alex Prentice, QC, delivered his closing speech in the trial of 46-year-old Kean from Blairgowrie, who denies murdering Mrs Methven in her cottage in Forteviot, Perthshire, on February 20.

The jury, which is expected to retire to consider its verdict on Monday, was also addressed by Brian McConnachie, QC, defending.

Mr Prentice said there were only two questions to consider.He said: "Was murder committed? Was Jenny Methven murdered? I suggest the answer to that would be unanimously yes. Mrs Methven was beaten round the head with a blunt instrument. The back of her skull is fractured and pieces of bone entered her brain and she died. The second question is who murdered her, and I will be inviting you to convict Mr Kean."The court has heard Mrs Methven's body was found by her son David Methven, 58, when he returned home from work at around 5.10pm.Mr Prentice told the jurors: "People who commit crimes tend not to want to get caught and tend to commit them where only two people are present – the murderer and the victim."The prosecutor said Kean's DNA was found on Mrs Methven's wrist and a fingerprint in blood was found on the wall phone beside her body.Mr Prentice added: "This was a savage, brutal murder and we may never know what the motive was."Mr Connachie, in his closing speech, said to the jurors: "The one thing that will constantly be repeated in your head is the word 'why?'."The Crown in this case are relying on the CSI generation. They are looking to show you the fingerprint, the DNA and the blood. That's the golden ticket that the crime solved."This is not a whodunnit or a murder mystery."In his evidence, Kean claimed he did not murder Mrs Methven, but found her badly injured and left the premises.Mr McConnachie told the jury: " The fact he did not make a 999 call after finding Mrs Methven is unacceptable, disgraceful, immoral and horrific, but it doesn't make him a murderer. I invite you to return a verdict that acquits William Kean."

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Methven jury is urged to convict

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