Man ‘confused’ after wife’s body found in kitchen

A man previously accused of murdering his wife "seemed confused" when he was told her body was lying on their kitchen floor, a police officer has told a court.

John Pryde, 77, had been accused of killing Catherine Pryde at their home in Fishcross, Clackmannanshire.

The incident happened the week before their 50th wedding anniversary in March 2023.

Mr Pryde, who has dementia, has been deemed unfit to stand trial.

An examination of facts hearing – where evidence is led before a judge, but no jury – is taking place at the High Court in Dundee.

The court was shown graphic photographs of Catherine Pryde's bloodstained body on the kitchen floor of the couple's home.

Mr Pryde, who was known as Ian, had alerted a neighbour that there was "a body in his house".

Neighbour Jade Rennick told police in a 999 call played in court: "His wife is lying on the floor, cold, and she has a head injury."

PC Robyn Gibb told the court that when she arrived at the scene, she had noticed blood in a number of rooms in the house.

She said Mr Pryde has been "calm but confused and wasn't sure what was going on."

The officer said that Mr Pryde did not know who was in the kitchen, and was told "it was Kate."

Mr Pryde had repeatedly replied: "Is it my Kate?"

The officer added: "He said if it turned out to be him, he was worried he would get into trouble."

Crime scene manager Det Sgt Ian Duthie told the court that he had visited the scene two days later.

He told the hearing there was "nothing to indicate there had been a third party involved."

The detective said he and a colleague had arrested Mr Pryde on 4 April at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, and said the pensioner was "unaware of everything that was going on".

The court also heard from Mr Pryde's sister Margaret Stewart, 73, who said that her brother had been diagnosed with dementia in 2022 and had suffered from memory problems.

She said that Mrs Pryde had been her brother's carer, and that he had been a "gentle soul and was very easy going".

Mrs Pryde's cousin Margaret Anderson told the court that she and her husband had visited the couple a week before Mrs Pryde's death.

She said Mr Pryde had seemed "more detached" than on previous occasions and that he was having trouble sleeping.

The court heard that she told police: "Kate told me he tried to get up the night before, and she tried to stop him. Ian had said 'leave me alone or I'll cause a rumpus'."

The hearing before Lord Arthurson continues.