--- title: "Kyler Rattray denies racist murder of scientist Dr Fortune Gomo in Dundee" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kyler-rattray-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/kyler-rattray-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kyler-rattray-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/kyler-rattray-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee" category: "Politics" area: "United Kingdom" published: "2026-10-12T11:46:29.887Z" source_reported: "2026-10-12T11:00:27.000Z" updated: "2026-10-12T13:30:30.302Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 70 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-12T12:55:37.199Z" --- # Kyler Rattray denies racist murder of scientist Dr Fortune Gomo in Dundee *A 21-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Dr Fortune Gomo, with prosecutors alleging the crime was racially motivated.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports and five digests corroborate the central claims, with named sources and specific dates. - Craft 70 of 100, higher is better. Reports include quotes from defence, employer, and university, and detail the legal process and background. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and opening paragraphs are factual and proportionate to the content of the reports. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Kyler Rattray, 21, pleaded not guilty to the murder of Dr Fortune Gomo, 39, in Dundee on July 5, 2025. - Prosecutors allege the murder was aggravated by race, nationality or ethnicity and will be charged under the Hate Crime and Public Order Crime Act. - The defence indicated they would explore a mental health defence, including autism and diminished responsibility. - The trial is scheduled to begin in January 2028 at the High Court in Dundee. Kyler Rattray, 21, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of scientist Dr Fortune Gomo, 39, in Dundee. The alleged attack occurred on July 5, 2025, near Dr Gomo's home. Prosecutors claim the murder was aggravated by race, nationality, or ethnicity and intend to charge Rattray under the Hate Crime and Public Order Crime Act. Rattray also faces a charge for illegally possessing a knife. During a remote hearing at the High Court in Glasgow, Rattray entered his not guilty plea. His defence stated they would investigate a mental health defence, including autism and diminished responsibility. The trial has been scheduled to commence in January 2028 at the High Court in Dundee. Dr Gomo was employed by Scottish Water and held a PhD from the University of Dundee. ## Disagreement on date of hearing The Evening Standard and The Daily Record report that Kyler Rattray appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday, October 12. The BBC News and STV digests state he appeared on Monday. The Scotsman and Irish News digests do not specify the date of the hearing. ## Omissions from coverage None of the left or centre-rated reports printed below mention that Dr Gomo was a mother, a detail included in the Evening Standard's full report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 63% (5) - Centre: 24% (2) - Right: 13% (1) 2 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-12T12:55:37.199Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-12T13:30:30.302Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led on the allegation of a 'racist' or 'hate crime' murder. The Daily Record highlighted tributes to Dr Gomo, quoting her brother and a former classmate who described her as an "exceptional" scientist and a "brilliant light from Zimbabwe". The Scotsman and Irish News digests focused on the not guilty plea and the potential mental health defence. The Herald Scotland digest noted Rattray would stand trial for a "hate crime" murder. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports from the Evening Standard and BBC News highlighted Rattray's not guilty plea to the murder of Dr Fortune Gomo. Both mentioned the prosecution's claim that the murder was aggravated by race, nationality or ethnicity and would be charged under the Hate Crime and Public Order Crime Act. The Evening Standard also detailed the defence's intention to explore a mental health defence, including autism and diminished responsibility, and quoted the defence counsel, Iain Paterson KC. The BBC News digest noted Rattray is alleged to have repeatedly struck Dr Gomo with a knife. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 5 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [ITV](https://itv.com/news/2026-10-12/man-pleads-not-guilty-to-racist-murder-of-scientist-in-dundee) — Man pleads not guilty to 'racist' murder of scientist in Dundee - [Great Yorkshire Radio](https://greatyorkshireradio.co.uk/uk/man-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee-as-trial-date-set-for-2028) — Man Denies Racist Murder Of Scientist Dr Fortune Gomo In Dundee As Trial Date Set For 2028 - [The National](https://thenational.scot/news/26628236.man-pleads-not-guilty-racist-murder-scientist-dundee) — Man pleads not guilty to ‘racist’ murder of scientist in Dundee - [The Scotsman](https://scotsman.com/regions/dundee-and-tayside/man-pleads-not-guilty-to-racist-murder-of-scientist-in-dundee-9281678) — Man pleads not guilty to ‘racist’ murder of scientist in Dundee - [Evening Standard](https://standard.co.uk/news/crime/dundee-high-court-glasgow-zimbabwe-scotland-b1300435.html) — Man pleads not guilty to ‘racist’ murder of scientist in Dundee - [Irish News](https://irishnews.com/news/uk/man-pleads-not-guilty-to-racist-murder-of-scientist-in-dundee-GBP2YCZSFJLYJGXW66KNUJP4ZU) — Man pleads not guilty to ‘racist’ murder of scientist in Dundee - [The Herald Scotland](https://heraldscotland.com/news/26627221.man-stand-trial-charged-murder-scientist-dundee) — Man to stand trial charged with murder of popular scientist - [BBC News](https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6kg5zd1kedgo) — Man denies racist murder of scientist in Dundee - [Daily Record](https://dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/man-denies-racist-murder-exceptional-37761789) — Man denies 'racist murder' of 'exceptional' scientist in Dundee - [Stv](https://news.stv.tv/north/man-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-in-dundee) — Man denies racist murder of scientist in Dundee ## Questions **What are the charges against Kyler Rattray?** Kyler Rattray, 21, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Dr Fortune Gomo, 39. Prosecutors allege the murder was aggravated by race, nationality or ethnicity and will be charged under the Hate Crime and Public Order Crime Act. He also faces a charge of illegally possessing a knife. **What defence is being considered for Kyler Rattray?** The defence for Kyler Rattray has stated they will explore a mental health defence. This includes examining whether he has autism and whether his responsibility was diminished regarding the alleged crime. **When will the trial for the murder of Dr Fortune Gomo take place?** The trial for the murder of Dr Fortune Gomo is scheduled to begin in January 2028. It will be held at the High Court in Dundee. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/kyler-rattray-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Kyler Rattray denies racist murder of scientist Dr Fortune Gomo in Dundee", https://mediabias.news/politics/kyler-rattray-denies-racist-murder-of-scientist-dr-fortune-gomo-in-dundee