Sir Sean's cousin died after confronting youth

Published on Tuesday 12 February 2008 13:31

A COUSIN of Sir Sean Connery died of a heart attack minutes after confronting a teenager about playing loud music from a car stereo, a court heard today.

James Connery, 68, collapsed and died in the street outside his Edinburgh home after an argument with 18-year-old Scott McMillan about the noise.

The father-of-two, known as Jimmy, was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

McMillan, now 19, today admitted a breach of the peace charge at Edinburgh Sheriff Court by playing music from his car, refusing to turn the volume down and shouting and swearing, all to the alarm and annoyance of residents.

Sir Sean Connery's father Joseph was the brother of Mr Connery's dad James.

The court was told Mr Connery had been eating dinner with his partner Irene Bell at 5.45pm on May 1, 2007, when they heard loud music coming from a car outside his bungalow in Prestonfield Avenue, Edinburgh.

He went outside to speak to the driver, McMillan, about the noise and asked him to turn the volume down.

Mr Connery asked McMillan to turn the music down but McMillan replied that he would turn it up, said fiscal depute Gillian More.

She said: "He told (McMillan) that playing loud music at all hours and driving up and down the street was making everyone's life in the street hell."

Mr Connery, who had suffered five previous heart attacks, turned to walk away from McMillan and collapsed.

A neighbour and Ms Bell, 61, tried to resuscitate Mr Connery, and the neighbour asked McMillan to turn the music off.

He refused and turned it up, said the fiscal.

Mr Connery, a retired scaffolder, was taken by ambulance to accident and emergency at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but was pronounced dead a short time later from a heart attack.

McMillan's car was later seized and he told police he had played his music through four speakers in his car as he parked near his girlfriend's house.

When asked why he had not turned the music down he told police he did not think it was particularly loud, said Mrs More.

Defence agent Jim Stephenson said McMillan, who works as a bricklayer's mate, now agreed his behaviour had been "totally unacceptable" and that the music had been far too loud.

McMillan, of Kirkhill Drive, Edinburgh, will be sentenced next month.