Court / Leveque told Sandness murder accused: “You are going to kill me”

A WOMAN allegedly murdered by her boyfriend said she loved him before saying: “You are going to kill me”, a court has heard.

Jurors at the High Court in Edinburgh heard Claire Leveque, 24, made the remarks in a recording of a conversation she had with her partner Aren Pearson, 41, sometime before her death last year.

Prosecutors claim that Pearson – a Canadian citizen – murdered Leveque at his mother’s home in Sandness, Shetland on 11 February 2024.

On Friday, prosecutors produced a six-minute audio recording of the pair speaking to each other.

Jurors then heard Leveque tell Pearson that he hit her three times. She said: “You beat the sh*t out of me on my 24th birthday.”

Speaking about the alleged abuse, Pearson told her: “You deserved every bit of it and more. You’re lucky I didn’t bash your head in.”

Jurors also heard Leveque tell the accused: “I love you” before she later added: “You are going to kill me.”

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The evidence emerged on the fourth day of proceedings against Pearson, who denies murdering Leveque, a fellow Canadian, and other charges.

Claire Leveque. Photo supplied by Police Scotland.

Claire Leveque. Photo supplied by Police Scotland.

Earlier in the day, jurors heard evidence about what happened when police interviewed Pearson.

During an interview with police a detective asked Pearson: “Did you murder Claire Leveque?”

Pearson replied: “To the best of my knowledge, no.”

Prosecutors also led evidence about texts messages sent by Pearson from Scotland to Leveque’s father Clint in Canada.

In the messages, Pearson told the man that he was giving Claire Leveque $250,000 and was sending her on “business class”. flight. He said he had come into a “stupid” amount of money.

Pearson wrote: “Can I send her please to you. The second I turn my back she drinks. She has upset my mother beyond belief. My hands are tied.”

He also told the father: “I can’t handle that level of stupid.”

Pearson then told the man that he had booked “flights” from Sumburgh Airport in Shetland. He said they would “pass through” Amsterdam before arriving in Halifax.

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.

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

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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.