Man admits strangling girlfriend and slashing her throat

A man murdered his 33-year-old girlfriend by strangling her and then slashing her throat.

Daryll Paterson, 36. admitted carrying out the brutal attack on former dental nurse Louise Aitchison at the home they shared in Park Terrace, East Kilbride, on April 28.

The couple met while walking their dogs and began living together at her home from March.

On April 28, Louise phoned the police at 10.45pm and asked them to remove Paterson from her home. He left and said he would phone later to collect his stuff.

At the High Court in Glasgow prosecutor Alex Prentice QC said: “At some point that evening he murdered Louise Aitchison by compressing her neck, restricting her breathing and striking her on the neck with a knife causing a gaping wound.”

At 1am on April 29 Paterson turned up at his friend Adam Ford’s house and stayed the night.

Later that day he sobbed as he told Mr Ford: “I’ve done something really bad, I’m going to go away for a very long time. My life’s over.”

The next day April 30 Paterson confessed to his sister Khiya Paterson saying: “She’s gone. I’ve done something really bad.”

When asked where Louise was Paterson told his sister she was in the bedroom and the knife, which he had washed was in the kitchen.

Paterson told his sister: “We had an argument and she punched me on the throat. I told her not to do that, but she hit me again on the same place.

“She was kicking me and things got ugly and then she had a knife.

“I don’t know what happened, but suddenly I was on top of her with my hands round her throat. And then it happened.”

As he made the last remark his sister said he moved his hand across his throat.

When police entered the flat they found Louise lying dead in the bedroom, covered with a blanket.

Three knives were found in the kitchen sink.

A post mortem examination found the cause of dead was neck injuries. The wound to Louise’s throat was almost eight inches. There was also a fracture to one of the bones in her neck.

Mr Prentice added: “There were no defence wounds. While the cut throat was not survivable Louise Aitchison could have been rendered unconscious or dying due to the compression of her neck when her throat was cut. Therefore the cause of death is regarded as neck injuries.”

The court heard that Louise ,who was 4ft 11 and weighed just under nine stones, is survived by her mother, sister and brother.

She did voluntary work in India, aged 23 and then worked as a dental nurse for 15 years, before becoming a support worker. At the time of her death she was unemployed.

Judge Lady Stacey told Paterson, who attended court via a video link, that he is facing a life sentence.

She said: “You will understand you have pled guilty to the most serious of crimes. The punishment for murder is life imprisonment. “

Lady Stacey ordered a background report on Paterson and will sentence him in January.

Defence QC Donald Findlay QC will give his plea in mitigation then.

Paterson has a conviction in 2008 for violence and two convictions in 2016 and 2017 for domestic disorder.