Court / Sandness murder accused claims girlfriend stabbed herself in fatal incident
Aren Pearson admits though: ‘Anything could have happened’
A MAN accused of murdering his girlfriend has claimed he watched the woman repeatedly stab herself with a knife at his mum’s home.
Aren Pearson, 41, said he went into shock after witnessing Claire Leveque, 24, “plunge” a knife into herself at the home in Sandness, Shetland, on 11 February 2024.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard evidence from Pearson, a Canadian who was living in Shetland with his mother at the time.
He said that Leveque had been drinking whisky in the hours leading up to the incident, and that she had heard him speaking to her father Clint about how much alcohol Leveque – 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.
Pearson told his lawyer Iain Paterson KC on Monday that 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 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 Leveque and other charges.
Pearson told Paterson in court on Monday that he and Leveque came to Scotland in October 2023.
He told the court that he and Claire drank alcohol and would argue with and abuse each other. He said they enjoyed each other’s company, but their relationship became “too toxic” when drink was taken.
Pearson also told the court that on 11 February 2024, he and 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 Paterson: “We were having a nice afternoon but it turned into a horrible one.”Pearson claimed Leveque consumed about a “third of litre” of a bottle of “liquor” that had been recently purchased.
“She guzzled a whole bunch of it and she started abusing me again,” he said.
He said he told her to go to bed and then contacted her dad Clint in Canada to tell her that he had booked flights to take her back home to him.
Pearson said he didn’t know she had overheard the conversation and had heard him talking about her drinking.
He said 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.
He then described being assaulted by Leveque by being struck in his groin, before claiming she grabbed a knife and stabbed herself.
“I remember thinking what the f**k,” Pearson added.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what happened next.”
The court heard Pearson then 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.
However, he said he could “remember tasting the salt water”.
The jury earlier heard an audio recording of a 999 call Pearson’s mother made after learning that Leveque had been injured.
In the call, the jury could hear Pearson speaking about what allegedly happened.
He told the court he could not remember that or remember stabbing himself in the neck.
Pearson also said he couldn’t remember verbally abusing police officers after being detained in connection with Claire’s death.
The jury earlier heard evidence that Pearson told a doctor at the Gilbert Bain hospital in Lerwick that he had been trying to “get rid” of Leveque.
Speaking about this to Pearson said: “That’s been taken out of context.
“What I meant by that was sending her back to Canada, not killing her.”
When Paterson asked him, whether he could have attacked Leveque after she allegedly struck herself with the knife, Pearson replied: “I suppose so. Anything could have happened.”
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.
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 11 February 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.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
