Murder accused took four valiums on night of killing

A LEADING psychiatrist has told a murder trial how a man told him he'd taken four valiums on the night he is alleged to have killed his "only friend" with a knife.

Dr Amul Patel, 34, a psychiatrist at the Orchard Clinic at Royal Edinburgh Hospital, assessed the mental state of 25-year-old Christopher Bouhadi, days after he is alleged to have killed his flatmate, Barry Fleming, 28, outside the Clifton Arms pub in Broxburn, West Lothian.

Dr Patel was giving evidence on the fifth day of the trial of Bouhadi, who denies murdering Mr Fleming on 29 May last year.

He told the High Court in Livingston: "He (Bouhadi] has had problems with drugs since the age of 14. He told me on the night of the incident he'd taken two cups of raspberry vodka, two cups of red wine and four valium tablets."

In addition to pleading not guilty to murder, Bouhadi, formerly of Almondell Road, Broxburn, denies having a knife and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of it.

The trial continues.