A MAN accused of murdering his girlfriend told an A&E doctor that he had been trying to get “rid of her for a while”, a court has heard.
Dr Caroline Heggie,45, told jurors on Thursday that Aren Pearson, 41, made the remarks after being admitted to casualty in Lerwick, Shetland, on February 11 2024.
PA:Press AssociationAren Pearson is standing trial at the High Court in Edinburgh[/caption]
AlamyHe was taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital after being detained in connection with the death of his girlfriend Claire Leveque[/caption]
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Mr Pearson had been taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital after being detained in connection with the death of his girlfriend Claire Leveque, 24.
The jury heard how Pearson told staff that he had stabbed himself in the neck, had consumed brake fluid and had driven his car, which the jury has heard was a Porsche, 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.
Dr Heggie told prosecutor Margaret Barron that Pearson also made a remark during his time at the medical facility.
Ms Barron asked the medic: “Did he say something that stuck with you?”
Dr Heggie, a locum consultant in accident and emergency medicine replied: “He said ‘I’ve been trying to get rid of her for a while.’”
The evidence emerged on the third day of proceedings against Pearson.
He is a Canadian citizen who is standing trial for murdering Miss Leveque, a fellow Canadian, at his mother’s home – which was called Ringville – in Sandness, Shetland, on February 11 2024.
The court has earlier heard evidence of how Miss Leveque was discovered in a hot tub containing blood in a garage at the property.
Dr Heggie told Ms Barron that her colleagues administered an antidote for the brake fluid which Mr Pearson said he had consumed.
She told the court that he was kept in hospital for observation. Colleagues had reported that Mr Pearson had expressed feelings of “suicide ideation”.
Dr Heggie said Mr Pearson was later assessed by a consultant psychiatrist who found that he wasn’t suffering from any mental illness which prevented him from being released to the police.
Notes from a report prepared by the psychiatrist were then shown to the jury.
The jury saw a remark which stated that there was “no evidence of any acute mood disorder or psychiatric illness” being experienced at that point in time by Mr Pearson.
“He said ‘I’ve been trying to get rid of her for a while.’”
Dr Heggie
The report stated that Mr Pearson was providing the psychiatrist with “fully relevant and coherent” information.
The psychiatrist wrote: “I am of the opinion that Mr Pearson is fit to be interviewed.”
She added that police interview wouldn’t present any “risk of harm” to the accused.
The jurors also heard a second statement of evidence which has been agreed by prosecutors and defence lawyers as being proven and uncontroversial.
The trial previously heard that Pearson told a 999 call handler he stabbed Claire Leveque in a hot tubPA
In this statement, jurors were told about a piece of evidence lodged in the court.
They were told: “Crown label five is a knife recovered from the garage at Ringville, Sandness and is the item referred to at page six of crown productio number five as ZCT5 – knife – hot tub in garage.
“On examination, this was found to be a black handled kitchen knife missing a small section of the tip of the blade.
“The remaining knife blade measured 90mm in length, with a maximum width at the hilt of approximately 20mm and had a plain cutting edge.
“The knife edge bore stains which gave a chemical reaction strongly indicative of presence of traces of blood.
“Crown production number six is a joint report dated April 30 2024, by Crown witnesses Gail McKay and Dorothy Souter, both senior forensic scientists, Scottish Police Authority, Gartcosh and contains a record of the examination and analysis of Crown label number six, a knife referred to above and Crown label seven, a piece of metal found embedded in the skull of Claire Leveque during a second post mortem conducted on March 7 2024.
“On examination, Crown label number seven was found to form a physical fit with the broken edge of Crown label six such that these two items have at one time formed the same knife.”
Earlier in the day, Katherine Jamieson,43, told the court of how she lived close to Pearson’s mother Hazel.
She said that on January 2 2024, Pearson came to her home wearing only jogging bottoms and she was concerned by how he looked.
She said: “There was blood on his face, his body and his hands.
“He told me he punched his teeth out and his teeth were on a plate. He was very erratic and not calm.”
Mrs Jamieson said that Pearson had told her that he was planning to take his own life.
She added: “I asked him how he was going to do it. He was telling me he was going to do it – he had three grenades.
“I was very concerned about what was happening and frightened.”
Mrs Jamieson said she phoned relatives who were attending at a nearby party to come and help her deal with Pearson who later went to bed.
Pearson faces a total of seven charges.
The first charge claims that between October 21 2023, and February 11 2024, at locations in Shetland, Pearson behaved in a “threatening and abusive manner” towards Claire. He is alleged to have acted aggressively towards her.
The second charge claims that on various occasions between October 21 2023 and January 31 2024, Pearson assaulted Claire by inflicting “blunt force trauma” to her head and body.
In the third charge, it’s claimed on January 2 2024, at another property in Sandness, Pearson acted in an aggressive and threatening manner by uttering remarks that he possessed “grenades”.
The fourth charge states that on February 11 2024, at a garage at Ringville, Sandness, Pearson assaulted Claire, his partner, by repeatedly striking her on the head, neck and body with a knife. They also claim that Pearson repeatedly inflicted blunt force trauma to her head, neck and body by “means to the prosecutor unknown.”
Prosecutors then claim that Pearson compressed her neck and did “submerge her head and body in water” and that he murdered her
The fifth charge states that he attempted to defeat the ends of justice following the alleged murder.
Accused allegedly sent messages to family members
He is said to sent messages to Clint Leveque and Arran Jack informing them that he intended to provide Claire with money and a plane ticket.
He is said to have told Clint Leveque that Claire was in “good health” and that he had booked flights for her to return to Canada.
Prosecutors say he undertook these actions to “avoid detection” for murdering Claire and with the “intent to defeat the ends of justice” and that he “did attempt to defeat the ends of justice.”
The sixth charge claims that he acted in a “threatening and abusive manner” by driving a car into the sea and by taking possession of a knife and striking himself with the blade in the neck in the presence of his mother.
The final charge claims he repeatedly shouted, swore and uttered offensive remarks to police officers during a trip in an ambulance between the house where the alleged murder took place and the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick on February 11 2024.
Pearson has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The trial, before judge Lord Arthurson, continues.
The SunThe trial is continuing in Edinburgh[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
