Murder trial hears of Orkney love triangle
The woman at the centre of an Orkney love triangle told a murder trial today, Thursday, how her two lovers came to blows on a couple of occasions.
Thirty-four-year-old Margaret Johnston said that murder accused John Campbell had thrown floor tiles at alleged murder victim Robert Rose.
She also claimed that police were called after Campbell, 59, threatened to shoot 54-year-old Mr Rose.
Miss Johnston, who is the mother of Campbell's two-year-old daughter was giving evidence at the High Court of Glasgow at the trial of Campbell, 59, and Stephen Crummack, 51, who deny murdering Mr Rose on Sanday on June 6 or 7, 2009 and burying his body in sand dunes.
She told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC that she was living with Campbell at his home Telegraph Cottage, Sanday, with her three children and their monkeys, which were kept in a special enclosure built at the side of the house.
The court heard she began an affair with Mr Rose - whom she knew as Bob - soon after he arrived on Sanday.
She said that her relationship with Campbell which she described as "volatile" was over - although she was still living with him while she looked for somewhere to stay to be near the animals.
The jury was told that after a couple of overnight stays at Mr Rose's home she went back to Campbell at Telegraph Cottage because she missed the monkeys.
She said: "I made a choice between Bob and the monkeys . The choice was the monkeys."
Before leaving Sanday in February or March last year, Ms Johnston told the court she took out a loan of £10,000 to buy the monkeys from Campbell and made arrangements for the five large monkeys and two marmosets to be transported down south.
The court was told she then had to sell the animals because she had nowhere to keep them.
She told Mr Prentice that Campbell drove her and her children to the ferry as she left Sanday for the last time.
As he passed Mr Rose's cottage he slowed down and said that Bob Rose would be the last person he would visit before he left the island.
She added: "He said he would be the last person I would be paying a visit to before leaving the island.'"
Miss Johnston told the court that the last communication she had from Mr Rose's mobile phone was a text message on June 8 or 9.
Later that day she also got a phone message from Kirkwall Constabulary saying that Mr Rose was missing.
Under cross-examination by defence QC Donald Findlay Ms Johnston agreed that the fights between Campbell and Mr Rose were "handbags at ten paces."
She said on one occasion Mr Rose came to Campbell's home and a row began during which Campbell was throwing ceramic tiles at him.
On another occasion she claimed that Campbell threatened to shoot Mr Rose. But she agreed with Mr Findlay that it was an empty threat because the gun was a replica.
Ms Johnston also told the court that she sent intimate photographs of herself to her lover Robert Rose after she left the island.
She made the admission after solicitor advocate Paul Burns, defending Stephen Crummack, he told her: "We may head evidence that after you left the island that you sent intimate videos to Mr Rose."
Ms Johnston, who earlier claimed she didn't approve of nudity, denied this, but admitted sending by mobile phone just of couple of still pictures.
It was put to her that these had been forwarded to Campbell.
Mr Burns asked : "Were these being send to Bob Rose to goad Jack Campbelll? And she replied: "Definitely not."
Ms Johnston also told the court she was wearing a ring Rose had given which she had put on a chain round her neck,.
She also showed the jury a silver heart-shaped pendant he had also given her.
Campbell and Crummack are alleged to have held Mr Rose down on a bed, placed a pillow over his face and compressed it, repeatedly struck him on the head and body with their fists or other implement and robbed him of a quantity of money and murdered him on June 6 or 7, last year at Braehowar, Sanday.
They are also charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice by concealing Mr Rose's body in a duvet, putting it his M-registration car and driving to sand dunes at Sty Wick, Sanday. It is claimed that they buried Mr Rose's body in the sand dunes.
The prosecution alleged that the two accused then drove the car to Loth Pier, Sanday, in an attempt to make people believe that Mr Rose had left the island on a ferry.
Campbell and Crummack are also alleged to have told various people on Sanday and police officers that Mr Rose - nicknamed Black Bob - had left the island and had asked them to look after his dog Patch.
It is also alleged that the pair burn a duvet and wallet belonging to Mr Rose and washed clothes they wore during the commission of the alleged murder.
They deny the charges against them.
The trial before Lord Turnbull continues.
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