Grangemouth man convicted of murder of man, 39, in Bo'ness flat

Jonathon Bell, 37, took 39-year-old James Johnstone’s life during a frenzied attack at his victim’s home in Drumpark Avenue, Bo’ness, on April 17, 2021.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Bell repeatedly struck Mr Johnstone on his head and body with a bladed weapon. Bell claimed he acted in self defence. He struck Mr Johnstone after the pair became involved in a struggle. He said Mr Johnstone struck him in the hand with a knife and that he struck him after trying to get the weapon away from him.

Bell told jurors that he didn’t like to relive the moments which led up to Mr Johnstone losing his life. He said: “I don’t like speaking about it. If he got it near me, he would have killed me. It was awful. I think about it everyday.”

However, on Monday jurors rejected Bell’s claims that he acted in self defence and convicted him a charge of murder.

Judge Lord Scott deferred sentence for the court to obtain reports.

Moments earlier, he had heard defence advocate Thomas Ross KC say his client had schizophrenia and that he was going to seek more information about the condition from a medical expert.

Lord Scott told Bell, who sat in the dock, that he was facing life for his crime. He added: “You have been convicted of murder. There’s only one sentence which can be imposed which is life imprisonment. I note the information that Mr Ross has given me about your schizophrenia. But I want to obtain more information before you return to appear before me at the High Court in Glasgow.”

During proceedings Bell, of Grangemouth, denied murder and claimed he acted in self defence.

Former shop worker Lorna Ballantine, 49, said that on the day of the attack she was working in premises in Grangemouth when a man came in who appeared "a bit agitated". She said: "I thought that he had maybe taken drugs. I wasn't sure, I thought he had taken something."

She said the customer asked for cigarettes and told her: "I effing killed someone."

"He just said he had knifed someone in the head. Three times, I think he said," she told the court, adding: "I said 'no you didn't'. You just don't believe somebody that comes in and says things like that."

Bell was caught on camera from the shop making stabbing motions towards his head. Miss Ballantine said: "He was kind of gesturing, like the motion of what he had done. He was showing me he had stabbed him in the head."

She said he had also shown her his jeans which appeared to have bloodstains on them.

When Bell was detained by police he said: "Is he dead? I am not a murderer.”

Bell gave evidence in his own defence during the trial. He told the jury that he had been taking drugs for three days and had smoked heroin on the morning of the day of the fatal attack. He said he had gone to Mr Johnstone’s home to obtain more narcotics.

He told jurors that he had became involved in a confrontation with Mr Johnstone during the visit. He said his victim who accused him of being a “grass” during the confrontation.

Bell told the jurors that Mr Johnstone suddenly produced a blade and thrust it towards him. He said he put one of his hands up to block the knife and it injured him.

Bell added: “I used my uninjured hand to push the knife away from me and towards him. It struck his head maybe two or three times. I only realised there was blood when I saw it coming from his head. He was shouting I was a grass, I had grassed his boy in.”

Bell said that Mr Johnstone fell back onto the couch during the attack.

After the jury returned the verdict of guilt, members of Mr Johnstone’s family shouted ‘yes’ from the public benches. Ms Gillespie handed statements from members of Mr Johnstone’s family detailing the impact that the loss of their loved on has had on them.

Bell will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on July 31, 2023.