Kirkton chaos trial accused explain presence during Dundee violence as two are acquitted.

The trial of four men accused of disruption on Halloween 2022 will resume on Monday.

Three men on trial for inciting disturbance in Kirkton on Halloween told to jury why they were there that evening. Stewart Burns, Ryan Dolan, and Keegan Jorgensen all took the stand before Falkirk Sheriff Court.

They are members of a group on trial for alleged breach of the peace. The court has now heard six days of evidence regarding widespread unrest on the evening of October 31, 2022.

Two men were acquitted at the conclusion of the Crown case and are no longer involved in the proceedings, which will resume on Monday for the third week.

‘Just being nosy’

Father-of-two Stewart Burns, 41, of McGregors Walk, Arbroath, informed his attorney, John Boyle, that he had purchased a car from someone in Mill of Mains that evening and brought it to a friend’s workshop on Strathmartine Road to have a new windscreen installed.

When he discovered his teenage daughter was caught up in the pandemonium, he said he called her and instructed her to head to Asda for a lift. Burns, who grew up in Kirkton, stated that he then walked to the location to ensure she had followed his directions.

He claimed that after he knew she had been collected, he attempted to approach the Kingsway via an alleyway near Ambleside Avenue.

“It was just mayhem.

“I was unable to pass because a police barricade was blocking the path. I assumed I’d get through at some time. “Smoke was everywhere.

“To be honest, it was quite violent.” When asked what he had done that evening, Burns said, “Stood on the corner, just being nosy.”

Minibus probe

Ryan Dolan, 32, of Finlow Place in Dundee, told the court that on the Friday before the commotion began, he leased a Mercedes Vito minivan to transport colleagues and friends to Manchester for a Warehouse Project Halloween club event.

He claimed that they drove home to Dundee on Monday and picked up his small daughter before dropping her off with his sister in Kirkton.

He stated that he then had to hand up a changing bag of nappies and wipes that he had forgotten, before pausing to video the police helicopter and a fire.

He told his counsel, Kirsty Watson, that “the whole place was looking like a bombsite.”

When asked by prosecutor Joanne Ritchie why a firework was found in the minibus, he responded he had no idea but that his hire car had been surrounded by youngsters when he parked it.

Dolan explained that he was later stopped by police and ordered not to return to Kirkton, so he complied.

Display for family

Keegan Jorgensen, 21, of Haldane Avenue, Dundee, claimed that he had bought fireworks from Asda that afternoon to let off in his garden for his younger sisters.

The fire sprinkler engineer stated that he later went out to pick up his brother and left the house to get food, but otherwise spent the evening at home.

Jorgensen explained to his solicitor, Scott Norrie, that he never intended to dazzle police with his headlights and would have turned them off if asked.

He stated that the footage of the disorder posted on his Snapchat account was supplied to him by someone else and that he did not capture it.

When asked by the prosecutor if he handed fireworks to others that evening, he said, “Do you have any proof of that?”

Aerial airwaves

After the Crown closed its case, Joseph McPhee, 55, and Dean Mullen, 38, both of Dundee, were cleared of the counts they faced.

Before that, jurors saw police helicopter footage with police radio chatter overlaid about the camera being blinded from below.

The address from which the light – described as not a laser – was emitted does not belong to any of the guys on trial.

An airborne cop stated, “There’s someone shining a light at us from a specific house (in) Kirkton Place.”An airborne officer said: “There’s someone shining a light at us from a particular house (in) Kirkton Place. The light’s coming from the top window.”

“The light is coming from the top window.” Also continuing on trial is Jack Reynolds, 23, of Beauly Crescent, Dundee.

Also still on trial is Jack Reynolds, 23, of Beauly Crescent, Dundee.

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