Mum-of-two who killed boyfriend by stabbing him in heart jailed

A mum-of-two killed her boyfriend with a single stab wound to the heart has been jailed for eight and half years.

Dionne Christie struck Jevin Haig in the chest with his own hunting knife as they struggled in the bedroom of her flat in Falkirk.

The 24-year-old was found guilty of culpable homicide in March after a two-week trial.

The 12-inch long knife – which Mr Haig was said to carry in his waistband at all times for “protection” – sliced through his t-shirt, skin, cartilage and bone, entering his chest cavity and piercing his heart.

Police Scotland

The High Court in Stirling heard the wound caused massive blood loss and would have interrupted the electrical activity of the vital organ, meaning medical attention was so urgent that even if it had happened in an operating theatre, it might have been unsurvivable.

Christie told the court that Mr Haig had been trying to cut their unborn baby out of her womb, grabbing her from behind and holding her tighter and tighter with his Bowie knife close to her stomach before she managed to get free, only to find he had a stab wound in his chest.

She said she didn’t know how this happened.

The incident unfolded in Christie’s Falkirk flat on June 26, 2022.

Christie and her victim were both 21 at the time of the killing on June 26, 2022.

Christie was the mum of two young girls and was 12 weeks pregnant with Mr Haig’s child.

Christie’s defence lawyer, Ian Duguid KC, described the incident as “a tragedy for both families”.

The court heard that Christie delayed for several minutes before calling 999.

She first went downstairs to ask a neighbour to call her mum – reassuring him that “her friend” was hurt but didn’t need an ambulance and her mother “worked in the hospital”.

Her mum was a cardiology department cleaner.

Prosecutors said this showed such “wicked disregard” for Mr Haig’s life it meant she did not care whether he lived or died.

During a ten-day trial, jurors heard that when she did call 999, Christie had immediately blamed Mr Haig.

She told the operator: “He’s come in, he’s been trying to start with me, he’s smashed all my house and brought out a knife, a big knife. He’s got a stab mark right in the chest.”

The operator asked if Mr Haig had stabbed himself, and Christie initially responded: “Sorry?”.

She continued: “It’s while we’ve been like, he was grabbing me, he had the knife in his pants. don’t know how I’ve done this.”

When police arrived, minutes behind the ambulance, Christie said Mr Haig had stabbed himself.

Forensic evidence revealed her DNA and a fingerprint on the knife, and a cut on her left ring finger showing where, the prosecution had claimed, her dominant hand had slipped over the hilt onto the blade as the knife hit home.

Jurors heard that another explanation was that she had touched the knife before performing CPR.

Christie told the court that after Mr Haig’s death, she felt “forced” to terminate the pregnancy.

Graeme Jessop KC, the advocate depute, said she had stabbed Mr Haig in a fit of anger while packing his bags because he no longer had any money.

In a text conversation the day before he died, Mr Haig told Christie he’d been “losing out on deals” and suggested they should stay in because a hotel they’d discussed going to was “dead”.

Christie, who used the name “Designer” for messaging, texted back: “You know what’s dead? You.”

She told the court the message had not been about an intention to kill and pointed out the context – the pair had gone on to chat and joke about an Instagram story of Christie’s.

The court heard claims Christie had been violent previously towards Mr Haig, stabbing him in the leg, slashing the Canada Goose jacket, and cutting up most of his clothes.

Christie, now 24, of Polmont, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Haig, from Moredun, Edinburgh.

The jury of nine men and six women were told that if they accepted that Mr Haig had been trying to cut out the baby, they might consider that Christie had acted “in hot blood” and could find her guilty of the alternative charge of culpable homicide.

They found Christie guilty of culpable homicide by a majority verdict after deliberating for nearly five hours.

On Wednesday, May 7, Ian Duguid KC, defending, told the court that Christie had expressed remorse and regret.

In sentencing Christie, judget Lady Poole said it appeared Mr Haig had not led a “blameless life”, but that “did not excuse” his killing.

The judge said: “Messages showed he cared for you and he was happy going for a scan appointment with you.

“It was clear at the trial how upset his family are at his death.

“Victim impact statements describe the deep grief and lasting impact the loss has had on them. Your actions ended his life early.”

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