Man who murdered girlfriend in hot tub on Shetland jailed for life

A man who murdered his girlfriend in a hot tub on Shetland has been jailed for a minimum of 25 years.

Aren Pearson, 41, repeatedly stabbed Claire Leveque, 24, at his mother’s home in Sandness on 11 February 2024.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Ms Leveque was knifed at least 26 times during the fatal attack and suffered 19 stab wounds to her face and neck.

Pearson denied murder and claimed Ms Leveque had stabbed herself, but on Wednesday he was found guilty following a trial.

He was also convicted of assaulting Ms Leveque.

Lord Arthurson handed down a life sentence with at least 25 years behind bars.

Jurors had earlier heard how Pearson, from Canada, confessed to inflicting the deadly wounds to a 999 operator, to the police officers who attended the crime scene, and to hospital medics who treated him for superficial injuries which he inflicted upon himself.

After taking the phone from his mother Hazel, who died earlier this year, Pearson told the emergency services: “Hi, my name is Aren Pearson. I’ve just killed my girlfriend in the hot tub in the garage.

“I stabbed her about 40 times in the heart, stomach, face, neck and back. I stabbed myself in the neck four times.

Pearson claimed Ms Leveque, also from Canada, had “drank too much” and annoyed him.

He once again admitted that he “definitely killed her”, adding that he drove his Porsche “right into the ocean”.

Pearson’s mother later told police her son looked like a “zombie” on the night of the murder.

She told officers Pearson walked into the kitchen and confessed to hurting Ms Leveque before stabbing himself in the neck with a small black-handled knife.

After being detained in connection with Ms Leveque’s death, Pearson was taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

Jurors heard how he had stabbed himself in the neck, consumed brake fluid, and had driven his car off a pier.

This prompted doctors to administer an antidote for the brake fluid and to order a CT scan to investigate his neck injuries.

A&E consultant Dr Caroline Heggie told prosecutor Margaret Barron that Pearson also made a remark which “stuck with her”.

She said: “He said ‘I’ve been trying to get rid of her for a while’.”

Dr Heggie said Mr Pearson was later assessed by a consultant psychiatrist who found that he wasn’t suffering from any mental illness.

A six-minute-long audio recording of the couple was played to the jury.

The court heard Ms Leveque confronting Pearson over an alleged assault on her 24th birthday.

He was heard replying: “You deserved every bit of it and more. You’re lucky I didn’t bash your head in.”

Jurors also heard Ms Leveque tell the accused “I love you”, but later added: “You are going to kill me.”

Pearson claimed Ms Leveque had been drinking whisky in the hours leading up to the incident.

He said she had heard him speaking to her father in Canada about how much alcohol she was consuming.

Pearson said her drinking was causing him problems in his personal life and he wanted to send her back to her dad who stayed in Winnipeg with “200k” of money acquired from “online investments”.

Giving evidence earlier this week, Pearson said Ms Leveque heard the conversation and lost her temper.

He claimed she struck him in his testicles and grabbed a knife which was lying nearby.

Pearson said that after grabbing the blade, she jumped into a hot tub in a shed at his mother’s home and stabbed herself “four or five times”.

He added: “I loved her. I still love her.”

Following Pearson’s conviction, Detective Inspector Richard Baird said: “The level of violence Aren Pearson inflicted is truly horrifying.

“Our investigation uncovered evidence of a controlling and violent relationship with Claire Leveque, where Pearson sought to degrade and abuse her prior to her death.

“These actions and his actions after his violent attack which led to her death show him as a cruel and selfish individual and it is right that he will now face the consequences of what he has done.

“Today’s verdict cannot change what happened, but I hope it brings a degree of closure to Claire’s family.”