Arbroath crime: Woman jailed after causing death of Asda security guard

Natasha Smith, 38, was stopped by 61-year-old Alun Harris-Richards as she tried to leave the Asda superstore in Arbroath with stolen alcohol in June 2024.

Mr Harris-Richards, who had undiagnosed heart disease, fell to the ground, struck his head and died instantly.

The court heard how Smith pulled at the bag containing the alcohol which was being held by Mr Harris-Richards and made threatening and abusive remarks to him.

At that point, Mr Harris-Richards’ began to have difficulty breathing and he fell to the floor.

Despite receiving first aid and CPR he died at the scene. A post-mortem later revealed he had suffered a heart attack.

Meanwhile, another member of staff continued to struggle with Smith, who subjected her to a violent attack.

Smith was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday after she pled guilty to a charge of culpable homicide as well as a charge involving the assault of another Asda employee.

She was sentenced to five years and four months years in prison.

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said:

“This was an unprovoked attack on a man who was simply doing his job.

“Natasha Smith’s actions resulted in tragic consequences and robbed a much-loved family man of his life.

“She will now serve a prison sentence for her crime.

“This conviction serves as a warning to others that we take crimes of this nature extremely seriously and will use all the tools available to us to seek justice.

“Our thoughts lie with Mr Harris-Richards’ family and friends. We are sorry for their loss.”

After Smith’s conviction, Police Scotland Detective Chief Inspector Craig Kelly said: "This was a shocking and tragic incident which resulted in the death of a man at his workplace.

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"Aggressive behaviour of this nature is completely unacceptable and can have devastating consequences, as this case has shown.

"Our thoughts remain with Alun's family, friends and colleagues and all those affected by his death."

At the time, Asda’s chief people and corporate affairs officer, Hayley Tatum, said the company was "truly saddened" by Mr Harris-Richards death.

"Our deepest condolences are with his friends and family at this difficult time," she said.

"We are providing support to colleagues at our Arbroath store and would like to thank customers for their understanding during this difficult time.”