Court / Murder accused ‘like a zombie’ after alleged crime, court hears

THE MOTHER of a man accused of murdering his partner in Sandness last year told police he looked like a “zombie” after the alleged crime, a court has heard.

The 71-year-old told detectives investigating the death of Claire Leveque that Aren Pearson, 41, did not look “like my son”.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Wednesday of Pearson’s mother’s recollection of seeing her son stabbing himself in the neck.

The court heard the mother told police that Pearson had said he had driven his car into the sea before saying he had “hurt” Leveque.

The mother then went to find Leveque, who was in a hot tub at her home in Sandness.

The court heard Pearson’s mother – who passed away in May this year – told police of what she witnessed on the evening of February 11 2024.

She said: “Aren walked into the kitchen and came back with a small black handled kitchen knife.

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“Aren…then started stabbing himself to the front of his neck.

“He was bleeding badly. Aren stated to me he had hurt Claire. Claire was within the hot tub – the water was red with blood.”

The mother told officers that after discovering Leveque, she telephoned 999.

Describing this call, she told officers of how Aren was acting like a “zombie”.

She added : “He was calm and was acting strangely. “I told the officer on the phone that Aren was there and I passed the phone to Aren who spoke to the officer.

“Aren did not look like my son. He was just like the way a zombie looks.”

The evidence emerged on the second day of proceedings against the Canadian citizen, who denies murdering Claire Leveque on February 11 2024 and six other charges.

Prosecutor Margaret Barron called a Police Scotland officer detective constable to read the contents of three witness statements given to the force by Pearson’s mother.

In the statements, she tells of how she was born in Shetland but moved to Canada in the early 1970s.

The High Court in Edinburgh. Photo © Bill Henderson (cc-by-sa/2.0)

The High Court in Edinburgh. Photo © Bill Henderson (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Her son was born there in 1984. The witness said she moved back to Shetland in September 2022 and Pearson came to live with her.

The court heard that Pearson applied unsuccessfully for a UK passport which meant he could not work in Shetland.

He returned briefly to Edmonton in Alberta for work and met Leveque, who was 15 years younger than Aren.

The mother told officers that Pearson asked if Leveque could come to Shetland – she said she refused but the couple came to Scotland.

The mother also said Leveque was “good natured” and helped with house work.

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She also told police that on the day of the alleged murder, there were “no issues” at all with the couple – they obtained some groceries from nearby shops and jurors were shown CCTV images of the pair visiting businesses.

The mother told police that the situation changed at about 4.30pm when Pearson appeared topless.

She told the police: “Aren stated to me that he had driven his car into the sea.”

She then said that Pearson went to the kitchen of the property, obtained a knife and started assaulting himself with it.

In her first statement, Pearson’s mother said that her son had several previous girlfriends and there was no history of domestic abuse that she was aware of.

In her third statement, she said her son was “really depressed” and that he “wished he wasn’t here”.

She also added that her son and Leveque “seemed very happy together”.

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The mother also told the police that on the evening of January 2 2024, the family went to a relative’s party and Pearson appeared to be upset.

She told officers: “I hadn’t seen him act like that way before. He was not in his right mind. It was scary.”

Later in the morning, a police constable told the court that he was one of the first officers to arrive at the home after the alleged murder.

He told the court of how after Pearson was detained, he made comments which were noted by officers.

When Barron asked the constable what Pearson said, the police officer replied: “Murderers are to be killed. Put me in the kill box. Take me out to the boonies and put a bullet in me.”

When Barron asked him what the boonies were, the police constable replied that it was a rural part of north America.

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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.

By James Mulholland of Edinburgh Courts Press Services Ltd.