Dead cow kills Dinky Ninja

A man crushed to death by a falling cow carcass in a slaughterhouse was a mixed martial arts fighter. Alexander McCrae – known as McCrazy in full-contact fighting circles – had worked at the abattoir for just a month.

Staff at Sandyford Abattoir in Paisley were yesterday “in shock” at the former shipyard worker’s death. Ally, 23, left, had recently started a professional career in MMA and aimed to go full-time. He trained with Dinky Ninja Fight Team in Dumbarton and had moved there from his parents’ home in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.



Head coach John Nicolson said: “Ally was such a joker and when I heard the bizarre circumstances of the accident, I thought for a second that he might be playing a really silly joke. He was known for his banter, both in the gym and on the internet, so we sort of expected to see him post on his Facebook that this was all a bad joke. It’s such a tragedy.”

It is believed Ally suffered a heart attack when a carcass fell from a hook on a conveyor system and hit him on the head. The Health and Safety Executive are probing Thursday’s tragedy. A source said: “All his workmates are devastated. Everyone knew nothing could be done for him.”