OAP ‘crushed to death by two-tonne Land Rover’

A PENSIONER was crushed to death by a vehicle weighing about two tonnes, a court has heard.

Christopher Grenfell, 25, is on trial charged with murdering James Simpson, 76, outside the pensioner’s home in Ashgill, Lanarkshire, last November.

Mr Simpson is said to have been driven over while trying to stop his Land Rover Discovery being stolen.

Police traffic officer PC Ewan Thomson helped compile a report during the investigation into Mr Simpson’s death, and yesterday he gave evidence at the High Court in Glasgow.

The jury had previously heard how the pensioner suffered “unsurvivable crushing injuries”, including a broken spine and multiple rib fractures.

Ian Duguid, QC, prosecuting, asked PC Thomson what the weight of a Land Rover was.

The officer replied: “Around two tonnes. This [Mr Simpson’s vehicle] was a decent specification, so perhaps a little more.”

Andrew Stewart, QC, prosecuting, is expected to formally close the Crown case on Monday before the jury learns if any defence evidence is to be heard.

The trial, before Lord Burns, continues.