Woman who murdered neighbour in 'cold-blooded' hammer and knife attack jailed for 21 years

A woman who murdered her neighbour in a hammer and knife attack has been jailed for at least 21 years.

Claire Kilduff was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow, having admitted killing cancer-survivor Ann Coll on Monday.

The 40-year-old bludgeoned and stabbed Ann Coll to death, having also taken more than £300 from the popular grandmother’s bank account.

Kilduff later went on to make a 999 call that she had found the 61-year-old in a pool of blood, having gone to her flat in Rutherglen days before Christmas 2023.

Lord Arthurson told Kilduff: “I have had the privilege of reading heart-rending victim impact statements from her grieving daughters, son and granddaughter.

“As one eloquently expressed, their lives will never be whole again.

“This crime can be characterised as a frenzied and sustained episode of multi-instrumental violence.

“Your victim’s injuries were catastrophic, extensive and horrifying.”

The judge concluded that the motive was not necessary to prove.

However, he stated a number of factors were “highly suggestive of a cold-blooded and intentional murder carried out for financial gain.”

He further said the killing had been “completed when your defenceless victim had no idea about the savage, merciless and murderous attack which you were about to unleash upon her”.

In a statement following the sentencing, Ms Coll’s family said they would “carry the trauma with us every single day”.

They added: “Our mother was more than a victim. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She was the person we turned to for comfort, guidance, and strength.

“Her presence held our family together. Now there is an emptiness at every birthday, holiday, family gathering, and ordinary day that used to feel complete because she was there.”

Killer was friend and neighbour of victim

Prosecutor Gavin Dewar told how the women had been both friends and neighbours.

They often walked their dogs together near where they stayed in Newfield Place, Rutherglen, including shortly before the murder.

Kilduff had gone to Ann’s that night to watch television.

Mr Dewar said the killer was what was described as “financially embarrassed” at the time, owing cash to unnamed others.

The court heard that Kilduff – who knew how to access Ann’s banking app – arranged that evening to transfer £320 from the victim’s account into her own.

Ann – who lived alone with her dog Lola – was on benefits at the time.

Mr Dewar said the murder went on to take place sometime between around 7.30pm and 12.50am the next morning.

Explaining the ferocity of the attack, he told the court: “Kilduff repeatedly struck Ann Coll with a hammer, causing extensive blunt force trauma injuries to the head and neck.

“The blows caused extensive fractures to Ann Coll’s skull. Kilduff repeatedly stabbed her with a knife.”

The killer went on to dial 999 herself.

During a call, a breathless and crying Kilduff stated: “I have come up and found my neighbour in a pool of blood and she is not breathing.”

Emergency crews arrived to find Ann in her bedroom, but she could not be saved.

Mr Dewar said the mum-of-three had suffered at least 21 blows to the head.

This resulted in multiple fractures. Ann also had seven stab wounds to the neck, back and side of the chest.

Kilduff had been found sitting in the common close when police turned up after the murder.

Arrest

However, it was not until February 2024 that she was arrested.

Police had earlier launched an appeal for help in trying to solve the killing.

During the probe, mum-of-one Kilduff’s phone was examined.

The court heard she made a number of Google searches on the night of the attack.

These included “deadliest stab wounds”, “stab wound to the neck”, “hammer to head injury” and “killed by single blow to head”.

Others later that night were “killed by my debt” and “killed by single blow to head”.

Police went on to find incriminating items having been alerted to an underfloor cavity area in Kilduff’s flat in November 2024 – almost a year after the murder.

The hammer and knife were discovered – the weapons had Kilduff’s DNA on them as well as traces of Ann’s blood.

Kilduff had been due to stand this week before admitting her guilt.

She had previously lodged a special defence via her lawyers, blaming another woman – a prosecution witness – for the killing.

Gary Allan KC, defending, said Kilduff “cannot explain” what she did, but had “expressed sorrow” for the killing.

Family statement

In a statement following sentencing, Ms Coll’s family said: “Nothing can fully describe the pain our family has endured since our mother, Ann Coll, was taken from us. Her murder did not just end one life – it shattered an entire family. We live every day with a grief that cannot be measured, and a loss that can never truly heal.

“Our mother was more than a victim. She was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She was the person we turned to for comfort, guidance, and strength. Her presence held our family together. Now there is an emptiness at every birthday, holiday, family gathering, and ordinary day that used to feel complete because she was there.

“The way she died has made our grief even harder to bear. Knowing that her life was taken violently and intentionally has left us with anger, heartbreak, anxiety, and emotional pain that affects every part of our lives. Sleep is difficult. Peace is difficult. Trust is difficult. We carry this trauma with us every single day.

“Today’s sentence cannot bring our mother back, and nothing will ever undo what has been done to her or to our family. But we are grateful that justice has been served and that the seriousness of this crime has been recognised.

“We want people to remember that this was not just a court case or a headline. This was a human life filled with love, value, and meaning. Our mother mattered deeply, and her loss has devastated everyone who loved her.

“We were robbed of future memories with her – conversations we will never have, milestones she will never witness, and moments her grandchildren and loved ones will never get to share with her. Her absence is permanent, and the impact of this crime will remain with us for the rest of our lives.

“As a family, we now ask for privacy and space as we continue trying to rebuild our lives and honour our mother’s memory.”