Man charged as death of scientist in Dundee ‘being treated as murder'
THE death of a scientist in Dundee is being investigated as a murder and a 20-year-old man has been charged, police have confirmed.
Officers were called to a report that a woman had been seriously injured in the city's South Road at around 4.25pm on Saturday.
She was treated by paramedics but pronounced dead at the scene.
READ MORE: Tony Blair's staff took part in 'Gaza Riviera' project, reports say
'A post-mortem has taken place and her death is now being treated as murder,' the force said on Sunday.
Dr Gomo's high school and university friend said her 'brilliance in the classroom was only matched by her emotional intelligence'.
Angela Machonesa studied with Dr Gomo at Chinhoyi High School and the National University of Science and Technology, which are both in Zimbabwe, south-east Africa.
In a social media post, she said: 'She was the kind of person you'd go to when you needed clarity, not just of mind, but of heart. She listened. She cared. She uplifted.
'No wonder she went on to earn her PhD. It was only natural. Her path was written in the stars long ago. To serve. To lead. To heal. And she was doing just that.
'But now, that dream, our Fortune's dream, has been violently, senselessly, stolen from us all.
She added: 'A child will now grow up without the love and presence of a mother. A family will mourn a daughter who once lit up their home with hope and promise.'
Machonesa said she and Dr Gomo went their separate ways after their studies.
Dr Gomo was an environmental and water resources scientist and her specialisms included water resources management, environmental sustainability, and policy.
According to social media, she was employed by Scottish Water in water resources planning.
She was awarded a PhD in Geography and Environmental Science from the University of Dundee.
Her doctorate looked at the links between the environment and policy making in the Zambezi river basin, particularly in Malawi.
Professor Nigel Seaton, University of Dundee's interim principal and vice-chancellor, said the death of the former research assistant 'is a truly shocking event in our city and for our university community', BBC News reported.
He added: 'It will be particularly distressing for those who knew and worked with Fortune throughout her time here at the university, and for all of those in our close-knit community of African colleagues and students.'
A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and the man arrested is to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday.
Detective Superintendent Peter Sharp, the officer in charge of the inquiry, said his thoughts are with Dr Gomo's family.
'They are being supported by specialist officers and I would ask that their privacy is respected,' he said.
Det Supt Sharp added: 'Our enquiries are continuing and I remain satisfied that the incident poses no wider risk to the public.
'At this early stage of the investigation we are following a number of lines of inquiry.'
He said he is 'acutely aware of content circulating on social media' and urged members of the public not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident.
There will be an increased police presence in the area.
Witnesses and anyone with information on the incident have been asked to contact the force on 101 quoting incident number 2283 of July 5 2025.
They can also speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Son sues for ‘£43m inheritance' after father left it to former cleaner
The fortune of a multimillionaire, who fathered 19 children and married his former cleaner, is at the centre of an inheritance battle. Richard Scott, who died aged 81 in 2018, made a fortune running the UK's second biggest boot fair from his 'vast' Cheshire farm, where ITV's Car Boot Challenge was filmed. Adam Scott, Mr Scott's eldest son, said he sacrificed 40 years of his life to work on the farm from the age of nine and was promised it would be his to inherit. Richard remarried in 2016 to his former cleaner Jennifer Scott, who was 28 years his junior. He then wrote Adam out of his will and left Jennifer in control of his 'huge quantity of land', officially valued at about £7 million, but which she believes could be worth up to £43 million based on offers. Adam, 62, is suing his stepmother, 60, the executor of Richard's estate, as he claims his father was not in his right mind when he signed his two final wills. Richard had 19 children, 'all of whom had expectations of inheritance', fathering six with his first wife, six illegitimate children during that relationship, and a further seven with Jennifer, who was his cleaner when the pair began their relationship in 1994. The couple married in 2016, but the ceremony was disrupted by Adam who said his father did not have the capacity to marry owing to his dementia. Adam's lawyers said he had been in line to inherit the 'vast' farm on the basis that he would pay the probate value of the land, leading his other siblings to be 'provided for either by rental income or a lump sum paid'. But after his second marriage in 2016, Richard signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer as executor and a major beneficiary. Jennifer's two sons, Gordon and William Redgrave-Scott, and Adam's sister Rebecca Horley were also made beneficiaries. Constance McDonnell KC, Adam's lawyer, said he seeks the provisions of his father's will from 23 June 1995, which granted him 'a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value'. She said the evidence supporting Adam's claim about the promises is 'very extensive' and that the judge would need to decide whether his dad going back on them was 'unconscionable.' The barrister added that Richard had been diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2011 that had eroded his capacity to 'make decisions' and left him almost 'incapable of speaking' by 2016. Alex Troup KC, representing Jennifer, said Richard had good reasons for cutting his son out of the will after he tried to have him sectioned through social services in September 2013. In July 2015, Adam made a further complaint to social services that his father was abusing Jennifer and his children. The case was investigated and closed. Mr Troup said: 'Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result.' The barrister said Adam had already been handed land and property worth over £10 million by his father before he died. He said: 'Adam was rewarded for his work, including by Richard making lifetime gifts to him of substantial parcels of land, which have proved to be extremely valuable.' The trial continues.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Battle for the car boot king's millions: Son of father-of-19 businessman suing his stepmother over £43million fortune after he was cut from the will
The son of a multimillionaire 'car boot king' who was left nothing when his father died is suing his stepmother for a slice of his family's enormous £43million fortune. Richard Scott - who died aged 81 in 2018 - made a fortune running the UK's second biggest boot fair from his 'vast' Cheshire farm, where ITV 's 'Car Boot Challenge' was filmed. The father-of-19's eldest son and 'favourite' Adam Scott - described as his dad's 'golden boy' - says he sacrificed his life to work on the farm side-by-side with his tycoon parent from the age of nine, and was promised it would all be his one day. But after the death of Adam's mother, Richard remarried in 2016 to his former cleaner Jennifer Scott - who was 28 years his junior and younger even than his son - and then wrote Adam out of his will, leaving Jennifer in control of his estate and farmland, which she says could now be worth up to £43million. Now Adam, 62, is suing his step-mother, 60, as executor of Richard's estate, claiming his father was not in his right mind when he signed his two final wills, having been diagnosed with a form of dementia that left him barely able to speak. He also says his father promised him he would have the right to take over the farm after his death and that he sacrificed everything to commit to 'a life of hard and unrelenting physical work' on the back of those promises. But lawyers for Jennifer claim Richard knew exactly what he was doing when he disinherited his first born after Adam's relationship with his father 'completely broke down' when he tried to get Richard sectioned, claiming his father beat Jennifer. They also say he has no claim to his father's estate on the basis of the alleged promises, having already been handed land and property worth over £10million before Richard's death. London's High Court heard that 'mercurial character' Richard was 'a ruthless, single-minded and highly successful businessman who built up a valuable property empire' before switching to running giant and lucrative car boot sales. He fathered an astonishing 19 children, lawyers for Jennifer told the court, six with his first wife, plus six illegitimate children during that relationship, followed by another seven with Jennifer, who was working as his cleaner when the pair first got together in 1994. Richard and Jennifer eventually married in 2016 just two years before his death in a controversial wedding disrupted by Adam, who tried to prevent the union going ahead, claiming his father didn't have the mental capacity to marry. 'It is common ground that on April 22 2016 Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry,' Alex Troup KC, for Jennifer, told Mr Justice Richards. 'That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead.' By the time he died of cancer, Richard owned 'a huge quantity of land' around Chelford, Cheshire, which has been officially valued for probate at around £7million. However, Jennifer claims it is now worth £43million based on offers she has received and development potential. Adam's lawyers say he spent more than 40 years helping his father run the 'vast, sprawling' farm and managing the car boot sales he held on part of it, and had been in line to inherit it on the basis that he would pay the probate value of the land. The cash would then have been split between his many siblings. But in 2016, just months after his second marriage, Richard signed the two wills which disinherited Adam and left Jennifer in control of his wealth, as executor and a major beneficiary. 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'On those terms, Adam would acquire a 40-year tenancy of his father's farm and an option to purchase the farm at its probate value. 'It came as no surprise to any of the witnesses that Richard promised Adam that he would be able to farm the farm by succession, and that Adam acted in reliance on that promise by dedicating himself to the farm, and by making extraordinary sacrifices in doing so, including the loss of his marriage and the loss of family holidays and other time with his children. 'Adam's work enabled the farm to generate a profit, which Richard enjoyed the benefit of and which enabled him to discharge his own expenses, including private school fees for the children he had with Jennifer, as well enabling re-investment in the farm. 'It also allowed the farm to function smoothly and with minimal labour costs despite Richard's ongoing health problems, which began as early as 1976.' She said the evidence supporting Adam's claim about the promises is 'very extensive' and that the judge would need to decide whether his dad going back on them was 'unconscionable.' 'In a case like the present, where decades of work and life-changing decisions have been made in reliance on a promise, the conscience of the court should be shocked,' she said. Turning to Richard's mental state when he made the 2016 wills, the barrister said the tycoon had been diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2011 and had been hardly able to communicate by the time they were signed. 'Richard's medical records include clear evidence of his ability to make decisions and to have insight having been eroded by his dementia,' she said. 'Adam submits that there can be no presumptions in favour of his father's knowledge and approval of the September and December 2016 wills. By this time, his dementia had left him incapable of speaking more than an occasional word. 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He said that, in September 2013, Richard's GP, a psychiatrist, the police and two nurses had visited Pear Tree Farm with a view to sectioning him under the Mental Health Act 1983. 'But when they met Richard, they formed the view that he had capacity and therefore did not section him,' he said. 'A freedom of information request by Jennifer revealed that this visit was prompted by Adam, who had represented to social services that Richard had lost capacity. 'In July 2015, Adam alleged to social services that Richard was beating Jennifer and the children. That led to an investigation by social services, which was eventually closed, but the children were placed on a safeguarding register, which they found upsetting. Richard was angry with Adam for reporting him to social services and their relationship deteriorated as a result. 'On April 22 2016, Adam attended the registry office and alleged that Richard lacked capacity to marry. That led to Richard being interviewed by four registrars and a lawyer from the local council, all of whom were satisfied that he did have capacity to marry. The wedding therefore went ahead. 'Richard was a short-tempered, authoritarian father who expected his children to work hard on the farm and would brook no dissent. He is variously described by his children as 'controlling, manipulative and unpredictable'.....He was capable of falling out with his children.' In relation to the proprietory estoppel claim, the barrister told the judge that Adam had already been handed land and property worth over £10m by his father before he died. 'It is clear that Richard wanted his children to benefit from the fruits of his labours, and in that regard he treated Jennifer's children on an equal footing with the children of his first marriage,' he said. 'Adam worked on the farm for his father, and in the later years he did so to a greater extent than his siblings, but he was aware of Richard's mercurial character. 'He knew that Richard had five other children by his first marriage, and seven children by Jennifer, all of whom had an expectation of inheritance. 'Adam was rewarded for his work, including by Richard making lifetime gifts to him of substantial parcels of land, which have proved to be extremely valuable. 'Adam relies on a number of alleged statements made by Richard as assurances. Any statements made by Richard in Adam's early years were not sufficiently clear statements intended to be taken seriously. Adam himself states that 'when I was young it was just a hope…' 'Richard was an inherently unreliable character, whose track record was of breaking promises,' the barrister concluded.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit charged with £73m wine scam after he allegedly sold vino that didn't exist for £12k as he appears in New York court
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