Girlfriend held murder victim in her arms as he died

Tony Ferns, pictured with his mother Phyllis, died after being repeatedly stabbed in Thornliebank in April 2019

The girlfriend of a murdered man has told a court how she held him in her arms as he died.

Angela McCann sobbed as she described trying to stem blood from Tony Ferns' body with a towel after he had been stabbed in Thornliebank, near Glasgow, in April 2019.

Mr Ferns had just dropped Ms McCann off at her home after picking her up from work when he was fatally injured by a man who had approached his car window.

She said she ran to him after he managed to drive and park outside his nearby house, but while holding her partner she could "see the life draining" from him.

Ms McCann told jurors at the High Court in Glasgow: "He collapsed in my arms. I just held him in my arms."

Raymond Platt, 56, Craig Colquhoun, 39, Robert Park, 69, and Joseph McCulloch, 50, deny the charges against them.

Tony Ferns died after being stabbed on Crebar Street

On the second day of the trial, Ms McCann became emotional as she recalled the victim shouting out he had been stabbed moments after he had dropped her off at home.

The couple, who had been together for about three years, had a routine where he would pick her up in his Audi at the end of her shift working in a convenience store.

The witness told how Mr Ferns dropped her at home after parking in his usual spot outside.

She left the car to get her sister, who had been babysitting her children, with Mr Ferns due to drive her sister home.

She spotted a male at her partner's car but told the court she was not concerned as "Tony knew everybody" and believed it was likely a friend.

She heard the car suddenly screech and the vehicle head towards the nearby home Mr Ferns shared with his mother Phyliss, where it stopped.

Ms McCann said she could not "comprehend" what had happened, and remembered shouting to Mr Ferns, who replied "Angie, I have been stabbed."

She then held him in her arms and made a 999 call.

'Stab wound to the heart'

Ms McCann was asked by police at the time if she could identify the male at the car that night.

An e-fit photo was generated and was shown to jurors but Ms McCann said she had been more focused on Mr Ferns than the other person.

Tony Graham KC, representing Robert Park, questioned the witness and asked "if someone had believed that you had set Tony up that night, would that be ridiculous?"

Ms McCann replied "yes."

The court previously heard Mr Ferns apparently held a "grudge" towards Mr Park and held him responsible for a car accident which left his disabled brother Mark badly hurt.

Ms McCann was asked about "incidents" she was aware of involving the pair, including one where Mr Ferns told her he had punched Mr Park.

She said her partner had been "paranoid" about a car he had seen in his street driving "very slow", with Mr McCulloch allegedly in it.

The murder charge states Mr Ferns was repeatedly stabbed on the body with a knife or similar item.

A pathologist later told the court he had died from a "stab wound of the heart", but would have been able to carry out "some purposeful activity" - such as drive his car briefly - after being struck.

Gemma Kemp had carried out a post-mortem on the body.

Dr Kemp said the weapon used to inflict the fatal blow was "most likely a knife" and required a "severe" level of force.

The trial continues.