Inquiry into death of man who jumped from flat after days of torture

An inquiry is to be held into the death of a man who was forced to jump to his death from a 12th-floor flat to escape a “friend” who had spent two days torturing him.

Jamie Forbes died after jumping out of the window of a flat in Elphinstone Court, Aberdeen, after being abducted and held against his will by Lee Smith.

The 37-year-old was struck with a hammer and punched and kicked during the assault on January 14 and 15 last year.

Mr Forbes’ body was found on the ground on January 15.

Lee Smith was given an eight-year jail term in December last year after pleading guilty to culpable homicide.

The Lord Advocate has decided that it is in the public interest to hold a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry to examine the full circumstances surrounding the death.

The decision follows an independent investigation by the Procurator Fiscal and the conviction of Lee Smith for culpable homicide.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that a contractor working nearby heard a “male voice” shouting for the police at the Elphinstone Court . He thought it was coming from between the tenth and 16th floor of the block.

At the same time a nearby resident also reported hearing a male repeatedly shouting for help but wasn’t sure where it came from. She called 999.

Lady Hood heard how just after 10am, a resident of the tenth floor heard a male voice repeatedly shouting “please help me”.

He went out onto the balcony to try and work out where it was coming from but could not see anyone. He believed the shouting was coming from above him.

Two residents who lived directly above the accused also heard shouting for help. They looked down and saw the window below was open and saw a male shouting for help and the police.

A number of other witnesses saw a male at a window of the flat with blood on his face calling for help. There were more calls made to the police.

Officers attended the flat block and made door-to-door enquiries on the sixth, sevent and eighth floors but were not able to trace the source of the shouting.

They left and advised construction workers to call back if the shouting started again.

Judge Lady Hood heard how the abuse inflicted on Mr Forbes was so bad that he had no other option but to jump out of the window.

Procurator fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate has decided that a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry should be held into the causes of Jamie Forbes’ death to ensure that there can be a full public hearing of the facts of the case.

“The Procurator Fiscal has now started work to initiate this inquiry and there are a number of legal steps which must be taken before it can commence.

“Jamie’s family will be kept informed of what will happen next including timescales for court hearings.”