Cowdenbeath man denies killing man by pushing him down stairs

The incident happened at Haymarket station on 20 February last year

A Fife man has denied killing a 58-year-old man by pushing him down a flight of stairs to his death.

Mark McKinnlay, 36, is accused of the culpable homicide of Donald Maguire at Haymarket railway station in February last year.

Mr McGuire hit his head on the ground and died in hospital from his injuries.

McKinnlay, from Cowdenbeath, was not present at the High Court in Glasgow due to Covid measures but his defence counsel entered a not guilty plea.

Tim Niven-Smith said: "The accused relies on a special defence of self defence."

Mr Maguire died at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh almost two weeks after the incident on 4 March 2020.

McKinnlay offered to plead guilty to a charge of assaulting Mr Maguire's son Brian Maguire, by kicking him on the body, striking him on the head with a bag containing cans of alcohol, pushing him to the ground and repeatedly punching him on the head and body to his severe injury.

Mr McGuire's son was also allegedly assaulted on platform two in the station during the incident

However the plea was not accepted by the Crown.

McKinnlay is also accused of resisting or wilfully obstructing two British Transport police officers by falling to the ground and refusing to walk.

He denies all the charges against him.

Prosecutor Margaret Barron said the trial was expected to last for four days.

However, due to Covid restrictions, no trial could be set and judge Lord Matthews ordered a further hearing to take place in August.