Humza Yousaf's brother-in-law 'spent £800 a day' on crack cocaine

The brother-in-law of former first minister Humza Yousaf has told a court that he spent up to £800 in a day on crack cocaine at the time when a man fell to his death from a flat in Dundee.

Ramsay El Nakla, 37, said that in January last year, he was taking drugs and using a more addictive form of the Class A drug cocaine.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Advocate depute Alex Prentice KC asked him: “Did this drug take over your life at this time?”

He replied: “Yes.”

He was asked how much it was costing him in December 2023 and January 2024 and said it was a lot and added: “I spent £700, £800 in a day.”

The gas and electrical engineer later explained that when he got paid he spent that sum but after that it would cost him £10 to £20 a day.

El Nakla was giving evidence at the trial of Stephen Stewart, 52, Jennifer Souter, 39, and Victoria McGowan, 43, who are on trial after denying killing Ryan Munro on January 10, 2024, at a flat on Morgan Street in Dundee.

It is alleged the trio threatened and intimidated Mr Munro and put him “in an extreme state of fear and alarm for his safety” causing him to escape from a flat window at height and falling before striking the ground, resulting in him being so severely injured that he died.

El Nakla was originally charged, along with them, of extorting money from Mr Munro at the flat and with drugs offences but was acquitted last week after the prosecution accepted his not guilty pleas to the allegations facing him. He was not charged with the alleged culpable homicide of Mr Munro.

He was called as a witness by the Crown and told the court that he has been clean of drugs for months. He said in January 2024, he sourced crack cocaine from Stewart and would go to the Morgan Street flat to buy the drug.

He said on January 9 last year, he went to the flat and got crack cocaine passed to him through the letterbox while his 13-year-old son waited in the car.

El Nakla said he later gave a lift to Stewart and McGowan from the flat to another address in Dundee. He said: “They told me somebody had stolen £700.”

He said he was asked to go back to the Morgan Street address and ask Mr Munro, who was there, if he had any money left. He said that Mr Munro, who he did not know previously, appeared scared.

He told the court Mr Munro said he had not taken money and he believed him, but he transferred money into El Nakla’s account.

The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues.