Crown Office releases Aren Pearson’s 999 call after he murdered Claire Leveque

The Crown Office has released haunting audio of the 999 call made by a murderer after repeatedly stabbing his girlfriend.

Aren Pearson, 41, told emergency call operators: “I just killed by girlfriend in a hot tub”.

In what a judge described as an act of “feral butchery”, Pearson, stabbed defenceless Claire Leveque, 24, at least 26 times at his mother’s home in Sandness on 11th February last year.

Jurors at the High Court in Edinburgh heard last week how 19 of the stab wounds were inflicted on Miss Leveque’s face and neck, at the end of a long campaign of domestic abuse.

Passing sentence last Wednesday, 15th October, Lord Arthurson called the called the murder a “crime of exceptional depravity”.

He sentenced Pearson to life in prison and told him he must serve a minimum of 25 years before being eligible for parole.

After the hearing, the family of Miss Leveque, a Canadian national, described her as “a bubbly, fun girl” who became “isolated in Shetland”.

The Crown Office has since released some of its productions.

As well as audio of the 999 call, which was played to jurors in the trial, the productions contain several photos of Pearson’s Porsche.

The court heard how, during the 999 call, Pearson told the operator: “I drove my Porsche right into the ocean - it’s gone yeah, she is dead. I definitely killed her.”

Procurator fiscal Moira Orr said after the hearing: “There are few words which can describe the ordeal suffered by Claire Leveque at the hands of someone who was supposed to love her.

“Aren Pearson’s brutal treatment of this young woman robbed her of her future and has left her family utterly bereft.

“Prosecutors exposed Pearson’s lies and self-serving attempts to evade justice. They were able to show how he isolated Claire from her loved ones, abused her and murdered her.

“I hope there is some small comfort for her family in Pearson being publicly held accountable for his contemptible actions.

“The thoughts of all at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are with them now.”

If you have been affected by domestic abuse in Shetland, you can contact Shetland Women’s Aid for free, confidential support and information.

Phone 01595 692070, email office@shetlandwa.org, or visit www.shetlandwa.org.

In an emergency, please call 999.