Three jailed for killing man who jumped from window to escape extortion

Three criminals guilty of killing a man who leapt from a window to escape their attempts to extort cash from him have been jailed for a total of 26 years.

Stephen Stewart, 52, Jennifer Souter, 40, and Victoria McGowan, 43, were sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow for the culpable homicide of Ryan Munro, 36, on January 10, 2024.

Jurors heard how the trio created an “environment of menace and threats” at the flat where they abducted Mr Munro in Morgan Street, Dundee.

They wanted the victim to give them money and held him against his will.

He was placed in such an “extreme state of fear and alarm” that he jumped to his death from a window at the property and hit the ground.

Stewart, Souter and McGowan were found guilty after a trial in Edinburgh in December.

Ramsay El-Nakla – the 37-year-old brother-in-law of former first minister Humza Yousaf – had joined them in the dock at the case in the capital.

He stood accused of participating in the extortion of Mr Munro as well as drugs charges before prosecutors accepted his not guilty pleas.

Stewart – whose previous crimes included abduction, extortion and drug offences – was jailed for 11 years.

Souter and McGowan were sentenced to seven-and-a-half years each.

Lady Drummond told the three killers: “Mr Munro remained in an extreme state of fear and alarm.

“He was so terrified about what might happen to him, he saw no other option but to make his escape by jumping from a high window and fell to his death.

“Ms Souter left and walked passed him without acknowledgement.

“Mr Munro will be missed by his family, and they will feel his loss deeply.”

The trial late last year heard from El Nakla – as a Crown witness – about how he was spending £800 a day on crack cocaine at the time of Mr Munro’s death.

The gas and electrical engineer recalled that in early 2024, he sourced the drug from Stewart and would go to the Morgan Street flat to buy the class A narcotic.

He went there on January 9 before giving a lift to Stewart and McGowan to another address in Dundee.

El-Nakla said: “They told me somebody had stolen £700.”

He was told to go back to the Morgan Street flat and ask Mr Munro, who was there, if he had any money left.

The trial heard Mr Munro, whom 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 £200 into El Nakla’s account.

The jury also heard evidence about how a phone linked to Stewart contained a message stating how a “pilot test failure” may have “hurt” to the “max”.

The message was about Mr Munro’s fall.

The message sent from the phone said to have belonged to Stewart stated: “F**en awful luck aye hun. It’s not me, but I think the pilot test failure may have quite hurt even to the max hon.

“As far as I’m aware, it’s from Vicki’s flat where he ran and superman time.

“Not looking good but we left before he tried that hon.

“No doubt they will be looking for me, but I’ve not done anything wrong, so I’m not overly worried.”

In his closing speech, prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told jurors that this evidence could be used to corroborate other pieces of information which they had heard, which showed the trio’s guilt.

Mr Prentice added: “The Crown’s position is that it was the actions of Stephen Stewart, Jennifer Souter and Victoria McGowan which caused Ryan Moore to escape from the window and fall to his death and given this, in my submission, you can find them guilty of the crime of culpable homicide.

“There was an atmosphere of absolute terror, menace and threats.”

Mr Prentice told Lady Drummond that Ryan Munro’s family had submitted a victim impact statement to the court detailing the impact that their loved one’s loss has had on them.

He added: “Ryan Munro was able to function, have a job and did everything he could to get away from this terrible addiction.

“He was a capable adult.”

Speaking about Mr Munro’s family, the advocate depute added: “They have struggled with this and found it difficult to deal with.”

The proceeds of crime actions against Stewart and McGowan will be called at the High Court in Edinburgh sometime in the near future.