Shetland murder accused Aren Pearson tells High Court in Edinbugh his lover Claire Leveque stabbed herself
A man accused of murdering his girlfriend has told jurors that she stabbed herself repeatedly after jumping into his mother’s hot tub.
Aren Pearson,41, said he witnessed Claire Leveque,24, “plunge” a knife into herself at his mum’s house in Sandness, Shetland, on 11th February, 2024.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard Pearson, a Canadian who was living in Shetland with his mother, who was from the isles, say that Miss Leveque had been drinking whisky in the hours leading up to the incident.
Pearson said she had heard him speaking to her father, Clint Leveque, in Canada about how much alcohol Claire - a fellow Canadian - was consuming.
He 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”.
Pearson told his lawyer Iain Paterson KC today (Monday) that Miss Leveque heard this conversation and lost her temper.
He said she struck him in his testicles and grabbed a knife which was lying nearby.
Pearson said that after grabbing the knife, she jumped into a hot tub at a shed at his mother’s home.
Describing the moment Miss Leveque allegedly stabbed herself, Pearson said: “She stabbed herself once - nearby her rib and pulled at out.
“She looked at me. She looked almost surprised that she didn’t feel it.
“She started to scream. She maybe plunged herself four or five times.”
The evidence emerged on the fifth day of proceedings against Pearson, who is standing trial for the alleged murder of Miss Leveque and other charges.
On Monday morning, Mr Pearson, who was born in St Albert, Alberta, told Mr Paterson that he and Miss Leveque came to Scotland in October 2023.
He told the court that he and Miss Leveque drank alcohol and would argue with and abuse each other.
He said that they enjoyed being in each other’s company but their relationship became “too toxic” when drink was taken.
Pearson also told the court that on 11th February, 2024, he and Miss Leveque had planned to clean out the hot tub and clean the shed at his mother’s house where they spent a lot of time “hanging out” in.
The accused told Mr Paterson: “We were having a nice afternoon but it turned into a horrible one.”
He told the court that Miss Leveque consumed about a “third of litre” of a bottle of “liquor” that had been recently purchased.
Pearson added: “She guzzled a whole bunch of it and she started abusing me again.”
He said he told her to go to bed and he then contacted her father in Canada to tell her that he had booked flights to take her back home to him.
Pearson said he did not know she had overheard the conversation about her drinking.
He said Miss Leveque called him a “rat” and then gave him the impression that she may have drank from a bottle of brake fluid that was lying nearby.
Pearson added: “She was coughing and spitting.”
He said he was trying to get her into his car so he could take her to the Gilbert Bain Hospital, which was 45 minutes away.
But he said he was dealing with a “dead weight” and he was struggling to move her.
He then described being assaulted by Miss Leveque and being struck in the “b***s”
Pearson said she then grabbed a knife and stabbed herself.
He added: “I remember thinking what the f**k. I’m afraid I don’t know what happened next.”
The court heard that Pearson drove his Porsche car into the sea from a nearby beach.
He said he couldn’t remember doing that and that he had liked his vehicle.
Pearson added: “I can remember tasting the salt water.”
He told the court he must have swam ashore and walked back to his mother’s property.
The jury earlier heard an audio recording of a 999 call Pearson’s mother Hazel made after learning Miss Leveque had been injured.
In the call, the jury could hear the accused speaking about what allegedly happened.
He told the court that he couldn’t remember that or remember stabbing himself in the neck. He said he couldn’t remember verbally abusing police officers after being detained in connection with Miss Leveque’s death.
He added: “I kind of remember the yellow walls of Lerwick Hospital.”
The jury earlier heard evidence that Pearson told a doctor at the Gilbert Bain hospital that he had been trying to “get rid” of Miss Leveque.
Speaking about this to Mr Paterson, Pearson said: “That’s been taken out of context. What I meant by that was sending her back to Canada not killing her.”
When Mr Paterson asked him, whether he could have attacked Claire after she allegedly struck herself with the knife, Pearson replied: “I suppose so. Anything could have happened.”
He also said during evidence: “I did love her. I did. I still do.”
Pearson faces a total of seven charges, all of which he denies.
The trial, before judge Lord Arthurson, continues