The brother-in-law of former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has told a court he spent up to £800 in a single day to fund a crack cocaine addiction. Ramsay El Nakla, 37, gave the shocking testimony while appearing as a prosecution witness at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Acquittal and Witness Testimony
El Nakla had been standing trial last week alongside three other individuals from Dundee – Stephen Stewart, 52, Jennifer Souter, 39, and Victoria McGowan, 43. The group faced charges related to the alleged intimidation and extortion of Ryan Munro at a flat on Morgan Street in Dundee on January 9 and 10 last year.
Prosecutors later accepted El Nakla's not guilty pleas, leading to his formal acquittal by judge Lady Drummond. He was subsequently called to give evidence against his former co-accused. Stewart, Souter, and McGowan face an additional charge of killing Mr Munro, whose death was caused by blunt force trauma and a fall from height.
A Life Consumed by Addiction
Under questioning from advocate depute Alex Prentice KC, El Nakla confessed that he was addicted to crack cocaine in January of last year. When asked if the drug had taken over his life, he replied simply, "Yes."
He revealed the extreme cost of his habit, stating, "I spent £700, £800 in a day." El Nakla, who works as a gas and electrical engineer, explained that such large sums were spent when he got paid, with his daily expenditure otherwise ranging between £10 and £20.
The witness told the court he has now been clean of drugs for several months.
Details of the Night in Question
El Nakla's testimony provided disturbing details about the events surrounding Mr Munro's death. He stated that in January last year, he sourced his crack cocaine from co-accused Stephen Stewart, visiting the Morgan Street flat to buy the drug.
In a particularly stark revelation, he described collecting crack cocaine through the flat's letterbox on January 9 while his 13-year-old son waited in the car outside.
Later that night, El Nakla said he gave Stewart and McGowan a lift to another address in Dundee. "They told me somebody had stolen £700," he told the court. He was then asked to return to the Morgan Street address to question Mr Munro, whom he did not know, about the missing money.
El Nakla said Mr Munro appeared scared but denied taking any money. Believing him, El Nakla said Mr Munro nevertheless transferred money into his account. The trial continues.
