This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8108804.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Worker murdered after store row | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A supermarket worker faces a life sentence after he admitted murdering a fellow nightshift worker over a "fall-out" at a Sainsbury's store. | |
| Robert McCulloch, 35, stabbed Roman Romasov to death following a series of arguments about working properly. | |
| The fight happened at the store on Berryden Road, Aberdeen, in April. | |
| The 28-year-old victim was a Lithuanian national who had moved to Aberdeen to study and work. Sentence was deferred at the High Court in Edinburgh. | |
| A manager rugby-tackled McCulloch in a bid to stop him during the attack, but he managed to free his hands and repeatedly knifed Mr Romasov. | |
| When police called to the scene initially charged McCulloch with attempted murder, he replied: "What, you mean I didn't do [it] properly?" | |
| It seems that the argument started because the deceased, while working, dropped crates onto the floor and the accused did not like the way in which the deceased was going about his work Alex PrenticeAdvocate depute | |
| Mr Romasov died despite efforts to resuscitate him following the knife attack. | |
| Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC said the victim had come to Britain in 2004 and moved to Aberdeen three years later. | |
| As well as working as a shelf stacker he was also studying mechanical engineering. | |
| The prosecutor said he was described as "a very private person" who did not socialise, but was a hard worker. | |
| He said: "It seems that the argument started because the deceased, while working, dropped crates onto the floor and the accused did not like the way in which the deceased was going about his work." | |
| On the night of the attack there was "an atmosphere" between the two which some staff described as "petty" and "childish". | |
| Police were called to the supermarket in the early hours | |
| McCulloch was disarmed by staff and appeared to be laughing when he was being held on the ground, said Mr Prentice. | |
| Police and paramedics were called and McCulloch told a witness: "I got Roman before he got me." | |
| The court heard that McCulloch told police: "He was knocking stuff about in the shop and I told him to work properly and he started miscalling me." | |
| He said he told Mr Romasov to do his job properly, and that he then started "slagging off" Scottish people. | |
| "I told him he shouldn't be here and he told me I was racist and whatever else," said McCulloch. | |
| He told police that they argued again after Mr Romasov deliberately sat beside him at a tea break. | |
| 'Remorse and regret' | |
| McCulloch went to the toilet and claimed Mr Romasov grabbed him and said he would kill him if he lost his job. | |
| He went on to tell detectives: "After that I told a couple of people about it. I was just off my head and I was looking at the knives and I went and done it. | |
| "I ran up to him and I told him he was finished and I stabbed him. | |
| "He turned and tried to get away and I done it a few times. People were trying to stop me." | |
| Defence counsel Jack Davidson QC said the murderer wished to express his "remorse and regret" over the death. | |
| Lord Brodie told McCulloch that there was only one sentence he could impose, but deferred sentence for a background report in order to fix the minimum period McCulloch must serve in jail. He remanded him in custody. |