Man Dies After Jumping from 12th Storey Flat Following Torture, Court Hears

A court was informed that a man, having endured two days of torture, felt compelled to leap to his death from a 12th-storey flat in Aberdeen to escape his tormentor. Lee Smith, aged 37, abducted Jamie Forbes, also 37, and confined him against his will at Smith’s flat in Elphinstone Court during January. During the assault, Smith repeatedly hit his victim with a hammer, in addition to punching and kicking him, prior to Mr Forbes making the fatal jump. Smith pleaded guilty to culpable homicide at the High Court in Edinburgh. His sentencing is scheduled for next month. Judge Lady Hood was informed that the abuse inflicted upon Mr Forbes was so severe that he had no alternative but to jump from the window. Mr Forbes’ body was discovered on the ground on January 15. Leanne McQuillan, the prosecuting lawyer, informed the court that police officers arrived a short time later. Officers found that the flat’s lock had been tampered with, which would have hindered Mr Forbes’ departure. They located Smith in his kitchen, engaged in washing, and observed bloodstains present throughout the flat. Ms McQuillan stated: “The accused informed the officers that he was refusing to clean up the blood in the living room as it wasn’t his and he was waiting for the deceased to do it.” She also mentioned that Mr Forbes was last seen on CCTV footage entering the building on January 14. The following morning, a contractor in the vicinity heard a male voice calling for the police. Concurrently, a resident nearby also reported hearing a male repeatedly shouting for assistance, though she was uncertain of the source. She contacted 999. A resident residing on the 10th floor heard a male voice repeatedly yelling “please help me”. He proceeded to his balcony in an attempt to locate the origin of the sound but was unable to see anyone. He concluded the shouting originated from a floor above him. Two residents living directly above the accused also heard calls for help. They looked downwards and observed the window below was open, seeing a male shouting for help and for the police. Several other witnesses observed a male at a window of the flat, with blood on his face, appealing for help. Additional calls were made to the police. Ms McQuillan stated: “Police officers attended and made door-to-door enquiries on the 6th, 7th and 8th floor but were not able to trace the source of the shouting.” She added: “They left the locus advising the construction workers to call back if the shouting started again.” The court was informed that two witnesses entered Smith’s flat and observed the victim lying on the living room floor amidst a pool of blood. After their departure, Mr Forbes jumped from the residence. Ms McQuillan reported that a post-mortem examination conducted on Mr Forbes revealed injuries described as “significant and catastrophic”. Defence advocate Mark Stewart KC stated that Smith and Mr Forbes had been “friends” and were “habitual drug users”. He commented: “The taking of drugs do not provide an excuse but an explanation in this case.” Lady Hood postponed the sentencing to allow the court to acquire reports. Smith’s sentencing is scheduled to take place at the High Court in Inverness on 29 November. In a statement released previously, Mr Forbes’ family conveyed: “Jamie was a much-loved son, grandson, uncle, nephew, cousin and forever loved brother and brother-in-law.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.