Moira trial hears of man in park

The body of Moira Jones was found in Queen's Park in May 2008

A witness has told the Moira Jones murder trial that he heard a man with an eastern European accent in Queen's Park on the night of her death.

Steven Hanson told the High Court in Glasgow that he also heard a scream and a female voice saying "stop it".

The evidence was heard during the trial of 33-year-old Marek Harcar.

The Slovakian denies all the charges and lodged defences of incrimination and alibi, blaming three others for Ms Jones' murder in Queen's Park last May.

Mr Hanson told the court he had been walking his dog around the park at about 2320 GMT on 28 May last year when he heard a scream near to the tennis courts.

He did not register that I was there. He really stared into the bush. He really kept his attention focused into the bush Steven Hanson

The 40-year-old art director said he then heard a distinctive accent coming from the same direction.

The father-of-one went on: "I heard someone scream 'stop it'. That was a girl's voice. I heard an east European accent and this was male.

"I could not hear words. It was the tone and intonation. The voice was male and nothing else. It was sort of projected and it was quite loud."

Mr Hanson said he then went to investigate, fearing someone could be in trouble.

He spotted a man sitting looking into a holly bush, which he agreed "appeared odd".

Mr Hanson: "He did not register that I was there. He really stared into the bush. He really kept his attention focused into the bush."

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini QC, prosecuting, asked: "See anything in the bush?"

Uneasy feeling

He replied: "I felt that there was someone in there, but it was really hard to say."

Mr Hanson added that he felt "uneasy" and continued watching the area. He saw what he thought was the same individual smoking.

Miss Angiolini asked: "This person was male, can you give a further description?"

He said: "He had dark hair. He was quite striking looking and had high cheek bones.

I thought that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing Steven Hanson

"I felt that he had more Mediterranean skin, sallow, quite clean shaven. He looked almost all-American, like a college student and appeared fit.

"He had a distinctive face and an almost cherub like mouth. He had no distinguishable marks."

Mr Hanson added that he thought the male was late 20s to mid 30s.

He said he left the park "troubled".

He told the jury: "I thought that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing."

When he found out next day that there had been a murder in the park, he went to police and provided three sketches and a painting of the man he had seen.

'Police pressure'

Paul McBride QC, defending, later put it to Mr Hanson: "You were not sure about a girl at all other than hearing because you never seen a girl.

"Were you put under pressure by the police to say that a female was there and to give a description of her?"

He replied: "Yes."

Mr Harcar is alleged to have abducted Ms Jones, who was originally from Staffordshire, and forced her to enter the park on 28 or 29 May 2008.

The trial at the High Court in Glasgow is before Lord Bracadale

It is claimed that he forced her across the park against her will before he repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on her head and body.

He is then said to have repeatedly struck Ms Jones on the ground, forcibly removed her clothes, compressed her neck, pinned her to the ground and raped her.

Mr Harcar is also alleged to have murdered the businesswoman and stolen from her.

He is then accused of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by fleeing to the Czech Republic and Slovakia between 1 and 18 June last year.

He denies all charges and has lodged special defences of incrimination and alibi.

The trial, before Lord Bracadale, continues.