Man who murdered taxi driver over refused cigarette jailed for life

STEVEN GREIG HAS BEEN JAILED FOR LIFE AND ORDERED TO SERVE AT LEAST 16 YEARS IN PRISON. 12:19, 10 Apr 2025Updated 12:25, 10 Apr 2025 A serial criminal who brutally murdered a stranger when

he was refused a cigarette was jailed for life on Thursday and ordered to serve at least 16 years in prison after his second prosecution for the attack. Steven Greig, 47, pushed taxi driver

Mark Ward down a grassy slope and then repeatedly kicked and stamped on the defenceless victim's head on April 6 in 2022 before abandoning him to his fate. The assault resulted in

catastrophic consequences for Mr Ward who was left in need of round the clock care after sustaining serious head injuries. Mr Ward died almost a year to the day of the attack from the

injuries he sustained in the unprovoked fatal assault on him by Greig, who was assessed as posing a very high risk of reoffending. Greig was originally jailed in January 2023 for five years

and four months after admitting assaulting Mr Ward, 55, to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment and to the danger of his life in the attack at Coupar Angus Road, Dundee.

Article continues below But following the victim's death on April 5 that year the Crown raised a fresh prosecution against Greig accusing him of murder. Greig denied murdering his

victim but was found guilty of the offence at a trial earlier this year after a jury rejected his claim that he should be convicted of the lesser offence of culpable homicide. Greig had been

freed under five separate bail orders at Dundee Sheriff Court when he carried out the fatal attack. JOIN THE DAILY RECORD WHATSAPP COMMUNITY! Get the latest news sent straight to your

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you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. A judge told Greig at the High Court in Edinburgh: "You were convicted by the jury of murdering Mark Ward. The circumstances were you

and Mr Ward had never met before. On April 6 2022 you were under the influence of drugs." Lady Drummond said: "You came across Mr Ward who was a taxi driver. He was standing beside

an electric charging point charging his taxi. You asked him for a cigarette and he refused." Greig then pushed his victim down an embankment and he struck his head, before the killer

kicked and stamped on Mr Ward. Lady Drummond said: "You immediately then walked away without stopping or showing any concern for him." The judge said that following the traumatic

head injury sustained by the victim he was fully dependent on 24 hour care and had to be fed through a tube. She said the injuries he sustained and his subsequent death had "a

devastating impact" on relatives of the deceased who was a much loved man. The judge said she noted that Greig, from Dundee, suffered adverse childhood experiences and began using drugs

from an early age. Unemployed Greig has amassed 189 previous convictions from the age of 16, including convictions for assault. Lady Drummond told Greig, who followed the sentencing

proceedings via a tv link to prison, that a background report prepared on him assessed him as posing a very high risk of reoffending. She added: "The author notes you have shown no

meaningful remorse for your actions." She told the murderer that he would have to serve 16 years in prison before he was eligible to seek release but any decision to allow his future

release would lie with the parole authorities. Lady Drummond quashed Greig's previous conviction for seriously assaulting Mr Ward under double jeopardy legislation as it has been

superseded by the murder conviction and should no longer stand. Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson KC said Greig was previously assaulted which had caused him problems in his life and

he may be suffering from complex PTSD. He told the court: "Clearly what happened in relation to the incident on April 6 in 2022 was not pre planned or premeditated." During

Greig's trial for murder the jury heard that student Lewis Webster was passing in a bus when he saw two men talking and watched as Mr Ward was pushed backwards down an embankment and

hit his head on the road. He said: "It wasn't just messing around. It was a proper push. The one who hit his head was lying on the road. The guy who pushed him didn't stop to

hang around." Mr Webster said blood pooled around Mr Ward's neck and one of his legs began to shake. Detective Inspector Craig Kelly said: “Mark Ward endured a violent and

unprovoked attack as he was going about a normal working day. Our thoughts remain with his family and friends who have also suffered immensely because of Greig’s brutal actions. We hope his

sentencing today will bring them some form of comfort.“Thankfully crimes like these are extremely rare in our communities. When such incidents take place, we will use every resource at our

disposal to ensure we track down those responsible and bring them to justice.” Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS),

said: “This is a rare situation where someone has already previously been convicted of a crime and is prosecuted again under the same circumstances but for a different crime. Article

continues below “As prosecutors, we have worked hard to deliver justice for Mark Ward and his family in what have been particularly traumatic circumstances for them since the assault in

April 2022. Our thoughts remain with them at this time. “Steven Greig’s appalling actions robbed a much-loved family man of his life following a shocking attack. He will now serve a lengthy

prison sentence for his crime.”