Police ScotlandA woman killed another woman after they confronted each other over infidelity claims.
Judge Lord Mulholland said Dionne Wilson, 31, would go to prison for stabbing Sara Irvine to death at a house in Aberdeen on April 17, 2024.
Jurors acquitted her of the charge of murder on Thursday afternoon but convicted her of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
The court had earlier heard evidence of how Wilson, a former drug addict, and Ms Irvine were both in the property in the city’s Tillydrone area moments before the victim was stabbed once in the chest.
The court heard Wilson say that Ms Irvine’s boyfriend had told her that he had a sexual relationship with the accused – something which Wilson says was untrue.
She said that Ms Irvine became angry and was “very hostile” to her.
She said that Ms Irvine threw her onto a couch and the pair became involved in an altercation which ended when Ms Irvine was stabbed once in the chest.
Wilson, who lodged a special defence of self-defence at the start of proceedings, accepted that she inflicted the blow on Ms Irvine. But she told her lawyer that she couldn’t remember anything about the exact moment that the blow was inflicted.
Defence advocate Mark Stewart KC urged jurors to acquit his client of murder saying the evidence available to them wasn’t sufficient to return a guilty verdict.
On Thursday, the jurors convicted Wilson on the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Lord Mulholland then called for a report into her background.
He added: “This is a very serious charge. Killing someone with a knife by stabbing them with a knife and the victim bleeding to death.
“There will be an inevitable lengthy sentence of imprisonment.”
During proceedings, Ms Irvine’s then-boyfriend told of how he saw Wilson stab her in the chest.
He said it was “horrible to see”.
Speaking of the alleged assault, he said Wilson just “flew” and “ran” into the property on Aberdeen’s Auchinleck Road.
He said: “She came into kill my partner. She just flew into the house and she just ran past me.
“Sara stood up to defend herself. Dionne had her hands on her.
“It was horrible to see – the next minute she was stabbed.
“She stabbed her in the chest.”
He said he then grabbed hold of his partner who died in his arms.
Wilson told the court she acted in self-defence.
The court heard that Ms Irvine’s partner allegedly told his girlfriend that he had been having sex with Wilson.
Wilson said that this led to Ms Irvine grabbing her and throwing her onto a couch at the property.
The accused said she was concerned for her safety as Ms Irvine was on top of her.
She told the court that she and several other people had been at the property to take drugs.
They were in the living room at the property in the moments before Ms Irvine lost her life.
The court heard that knives were lying around the house for cutting up narcotics.
Wilson said added: “She grabbed me and threw me onto the sofa. She was on top of me.
“I was scared and intimidated. I didn’t think I was getting out of there. I could have been seriously injured.”
The lawyer then asked Ms Wilson: “Do you accept that you picked up the weapon and used it?”
The witness replied: “I can’t say why. I wanted to get out of the situation.”
On Thursday, it emerged that Wilson had previous convictions for assault with intent to rob and assault to injury.
The court heard that she was convicted for the offences at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Lord Mulholland remanded Wilson in custody.
She will be sentenced at the High Court in Livingston on January 6, 2026.
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