Mr Black was said to have begged Thomson “not to kill him” as he felt he was about to pass out due to his breathing being restricted. and chased the man from the flat out into the street at Browns Place in East Linton. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that Thomson, c/o HMP Edinburgh, had been ejected from the village’s Co-op store earlier that morning after he stole four cans of lager. Thomson appeared from custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to charges including assaulting Mr Black, theft from the Co-op and breaching bail conditions. Sheriff Charles Walls was told that Thomson had a six-month unexpired portion of a previous custodial sentence after being released early.