Kiesha Donaghy trial - murder accused Owen Grant tells Edinburgh High Court he ‘never laid a finger’ on her

A man accused of murdering mother-of-two Kiesha Donaghy in her home has said he “never laid a finger on her”.

Owen Grant told his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh he was "very sure" he did not murder the 32-year-old woman in Elgin.

Grant's solicitor advocate James Keegan KC asked: "You wouldn't be able to shed any light on how she was murdered?" and he replied: "No."

Mr Keegan pointed out that it was a particularly brutal killing. Grant said it was "disgusting" and "horrible” and said Kiesha’s death left him “devastated”.

"I have never been in that situation before where I have known someone and they have been killed,” the 43-year-old told the court.

“I was devastated. I was gutted.”

Grant has denied assaulting Kiesha and murdering her on November 15, 2023, at her home at 79 Anderson Drive by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with an unknown object.

The court heard that part of Grant’s handprint was left on Kiesha’s wall in her blood. However, Grant said this was after a tattoo went wrong.

He said that three days before her death, Kiesha visited his address in Elgin to have her right wrist tattooed.

He said: "The whole process of doing the tattoo is simple but we had problems with Kiesha."

She was bleeding heavily from her wrist, he said, and he wrapped it in clingfilm before they went to her home, where they both took the drug ketamine. He said it made him feel dizzy and he did not like it.

Grant said he removed the clingfilm and cleaned her up and cleaned himself after getting blood on his hand. He said he put his hand on a wall after stumbling, leaving a print in Kiesha’s blood.

The 43-year-old said he owed Kiesha £300 for drugs and was planning to pay her when he got paid. He said that he went to her home with cash on him and knocked on her door but got no answer.

Advocate depute Christopher Wilson KC said Grant was facing "a financial crisis" at the time, but he responded: "Not really. I have never struggled for money. I did tattoos."

The prosecutor said that he owed money to Kiesha, which he could not possibly hope to repay but Grant said: "I could pay it."

Grant agreed that he knew she had £770 prior to the date of the murder but denied that he took it.

The trial before judge Lord Scott continues.