Liam and accused arranged to meet by text 28/5/13
Stefan Millar was planning to stay onboard the fishing boat he worked on in Stornoway
harbour the evening before the alleged murder, when he received a text from Liam
Aitchison, he told the court.
Giving evidence mid morning today Mr Millar agreed with defence QC Frances McMenamin
that it was either a text message or voice call from Liam.
The evidence was heard at the trial of Millar and Johnathan MacKinnon at the High
Court in Glasgow.
The pair - both 22 - are charged with the murder of Mr Aitchison in Steinish, Lewis,
on November 23 2011.
Today, Ms McMenamin read out text exchanges which were sent by Liam from a friend’s
phone.
Mr Millar said Liam had run out of credit.
The court heard the first message at about 7.18pm on 22 November was Liam wanting
Mr Millar to come up to a friend’s flat around Stornoway town centre “then later
we can go up to Jonny’s.”
Stefan Millar had texted back asking if he had any cannabis.
Liam had replied at 7.19pm with: “Nah, but still come up.”
Mr Millar told his his lawyer he smoked cannabis most days.
He said: “It never affected my work.”
He said when he smoked cannabis it was usually at nights when the boat was tied up,
often in the company of “a few of us, usually other fishermen.” He said the skipper
didn’t know.
The drug had been purchased from a source in Stornoway.
Mr Millar said he left the fishing vessel in the “torrential rain” and met Liam around
8 o’clock.
He had a shower there - he said some people claimed he was known to smell of fish
because he worked on the boat - and changed into “old clothes left there before.”
He put on dark-coloured jogging bottoms, a hooded top with dark blue, light grey,
white and pink coloured horizontal stripes and a grey jacket which was too big for
him.
Liam left around 9ish - to go to the Big Coop, the supermarket in the town’s Macaulay
Road, and returned with a litre sized bottle of vodka. He had been gone up to half
an hour. Then after about 15 to 20 minutes the pair went up to Johnathan Mackinnon’s
house in Plasterfield.
Mr Millar said he “wasn’t very keen” to go at first because he had work in the morning
“but I realised Jonny was up in court the next day so I went up in case he went away.”
He agreed with Ms McMenamin that “there is always that chance he (Mr Mackinnon) would
received a custodial sentence.”
They headed off with Liam wearing a white-coloured Scotland top, jeans and a jacket
over his top.Liam had the vodka tucked in the waistband of his trousers, he told
the court.
Some 40 minutes later they arrived at Jonny’s, he added.
“I was soaked,” when they got there, he said.
So was Liam Aitchison who borrowed some work clothes of Jonny’s, he told the court.
He said: “I think it would have been dark clothing.”
Mr Millar had not consumed alcohol or drugs at this point, he said.
He added: “You could tell he (Mr Mackinnon) had a drink” as he was slurring his words
and unsteady on his feet.”
Also there were two girls, one of who was Jonny’s girlfriend, Amy Burns. They were
waiting for a taxi which came just as Bella, Mr Mackinnon’s mother, arrived home,
he said.
The trial continues.