News / Sandness murder accused said he ‘definitely killed’ partner, court hears

A MAN accused of murdering his girlfriend in Sandness told a 999 operator that he “definitely killed” her by stabbing her “about 40 times”, a court has heard.

Aren Pearson, 41, made the statement during an emergency services phone call made by his mother from her home in Sandness on February 11 2024.

A jury at the High Court in Edinburgh heard on Tuesday that Pearson’s mother had phoned the emergency services after Pearson told her he killed his partner, Claire Leveque.

The court heard an audio recording of the call made by the mother, in which Pearson took the phone to tell the operator he had also stabbed himself and that he drove his Porsche into the “ocean”.

Pearson wept as the recording was played to the jury today (Tuesday).

The evidence emerged on the first day of proceedings against Pearson, a Canadian citizen, who was living in Shetland, with his mother at the time of the alleged murder.

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Claire Leveque. Photo supplied by Police Scotland.

Claire Leveque. Photo supplied by Police Scotland.

He denies all the charges against him, including that he murdered Leveque at a property in Sandness on February 11 2024.

In the recording, Pearson was heard to say: “My name is Aren Pearson. I’ve just killed my girlfriend in the hot tub in the garage.”

He told the operator he had stabbed Leveque “about 40 times”, and himself “in the neck four times”.

Pearson went to say that he had “definitely killed her”, before driving his Porsche “right into the ocean”.

During proceedings on Tuesday, the jury heard Pearson’s mother tell the emergency operator in a 48 minute long call that her son was acting “aggressively” and had turned “extremely violent” in the three weeks leading up to the incident.

She said: “I tried to get her out of the water. He’s done something really terrible.”

At the start of proceedings on Tuesday, jurors were read a statement of evidence which prosecutors and defence lawyers have agreed is proven and uncontroversial.

The jurors heard that the cause of Claire’s death was established as “stab wounds of the neck and chest.”

The jurors also heard it was agreed that the male voice heard on the emergency services call was Aren Pearson and that his mother had died aged 72 on May 19 2025.

The jurors were also read the contents of a legal document detailing the seven charges against Pearson. Prosecutors claim that Pearson assaulted his then partner, Claire Leveque, by repeatedly striking her on the head, neck and body with a knife on 11 February 2024 in Sandness.

He also allegedly behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards Leveque between 21 October 2023 and 11 February 2024, and during this time assaulted her by inflicting “blunt force trauma” to her head and body.

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On 2 January 2024 he was said to have threatened her by saying he possessed “grenades”.

Pearson is also charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice following the alleged murder.

He is said to have told Claire’s father, Clint Leveque, that Claire was in “good health” and that he had booked flights for her to return to Canada.

The sixth charge claims 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 of the charges.

The trial, before judge Lord Arthurson, continues on Wednesday.

By Edinburgh Courts Press Services