Paul Peralta

Paul Peralta was found dead in the boot of a car.

Two men were tried for his murder but acquitted after not proven verdicts were returned although one of them was sentenced to 8 years for trafficking heroin. The man had five previous convictions for drugs offences, having been released early from a three-year sentence for drugs and also had a convition for attempted murder from 1985.

Paul Peralta had gone missing on 5 or 6 October 1999 and was found in the boot of his car, having been burned on 17 October 1999 on a quiet farm track outside Port Glasgow.

It was alleged that the two men that were tried for his murder had bought crack cocaine from him and that Paul Peralta had cheated one of them by selling them an ounce of sugar.

One of the men that was tried for his murder admitted that he had seen Paul Peralta on the night he was murdered, but said that he had not killed him but had sold him a Ford Orion car for £750. He said that they had later sat in the car with Paul Peralta and taken drugs and that Paul Peralta had suddenly collapsed.  He said that Paul Peralta had smoked crack cocaine and injected himself with heroin and had then got out of the car and started to fight with an imaginary opponent and then fell down. He said, 'As quick as he started it he fell flat on his face. He never said another word'.

At the trial a doctor noted that anyone that took large amounts of crack cocaine ran the risk of having a heart attack, noting that even healthy athletes whose hearts were sound would be at risk.

However, Paul Peralta's body was so badly burned that the pathologist could not establish the cause of death.