Man accused of murdering girlfriend in hot tub looked like a 'zombie', court told

The mother of a man accused of murdering his girlfriend told police he looked like a “zombie” on the night of the alleged crime, a court has heard.

Hazel Pearson, 71, told detectives investigating the death of Claire Leveque how her son, Aren, 41, did not look “like my son”.

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

The court heard that Hazel told police that Aren had said that he’d driven his car into the sea before saying he had “hurt” Claire.

The court heard that Hazel then went to see Claire, who was in a hot tub at her home in Sandness, Shetland.

The court heard Hazel – 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.

“Aren.. then started stabbing himself to the front of his neck. He was bleeding badly. Aren stated to me that he had hurt Claire.

“Claire was within the hot tub – the water was red with blood. She was covered with blood. She had severe injuries to her face.”

She told officers that after discovering Claire, she phoned 999.

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

She added: “He was just zombie-like. 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.

Aren’s mother passed away in May this year.

In her statements to police, Mrs Pearson said she was born in Shetland but moved to Canada in the early 1970s and her son was born there in 1984.

She moved back to Shetland in September 2022, and Aren came to live with her.

Aren applied unsuccessfully for a UK passport, which meant he couldn’t work in Shetland.

He returned briefly to Edmonton in Alberta for work and met Claire, who was 15 years younger than Aren. Mrs Pearson told officers that Aren asked if Claire could come to Shetland – she said she refused, but the couple came to Scotland.

Mrs Pearson said Claire was “good-natured” and helped with housework. She also told police that on the day of the alleged murder, there were “no issues” at all with the couple.

Mrs Pearson told police that the situation changed at about 4.30pm when Aren appeared topless.

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

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

In the second police statement, given on February 21, 2024, Mrs Pearson told officers that her mother had received a package at her home, which was for Claire and had been sent by a man.

In the statement, she disclosed that she had handed the package over to detectives.

She said: “This was sent to my mother’s home address. “The sender was ‘Jeremey’. I do not who the male is.”

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

In her third statement, Mrs Pearson said Aren was “really depressed” and that he “wished he wasn’t here”. She also said that Claire was on anti-depressants.

She also added: “They seemed very happy together.”

She described an evening in January 2024 at a relative’s party when Aren appeared to be upset and “not in his right mind”.

An officer who was one of the first on the scene told the court Aren said: “Murderers are to be killed. Put me in the kill box. Take me out to the boonies and put a bullet in me.”

Pearson has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The trial, before judge Lord Arthurson, continues