A Canadian man who brutally murdered his girlfriend in a hot tub on the remote Shetland Islands has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years, following what a judge described as “feral butchery” and a crime of “exceptional depravity.”
Aren Pearson, 41, was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday of murdering 24-year-old Claire Leveque at his mother’s home in Sandness on 11 February 2024. The court heard how the victim suffered at least 26 stab wounds during the fatal attack, with 19 of those injuries inflicted to her face and neck.
Despite confessing to the killing multiple times immediately after the attack, Pearson attempted to claim during his trial that Ms Leveque had stabbed herself in the hot tub. The jury unanimously rejected his defence after a six-day trial, finding him guilty of both murder and assault.
Horrifying Attack Details Emerge in Court
The prosecution revealed Ms Leveque sustained a total of 55 injuries during the sustained assault in the garage hot tub at Pearson’s mother’s property in Sandness. Judge Lord Arthurson condemned Pearson’s actions as “a sustained episode of feral butchery,” telling the defendant he had subjected his victim to “quite unimaginable multifaceted violence.”
During a 999 emergency call played to the court, Pearson took the phone from his mother Hazel, who died earlier this year, and told the operator: “Hi, my name is Aren Pearson. I’ve just killed my girlfriend in the hot tub in the garage. I stabbed her about 40 times in the heart, stomach, face, neck and back.
The Canadian national claimed Ms Leveque had “drank too much” and annoyed him, adding chillingly: “I definitely killed her.” He also confessed to driving his Porsche “right into the ocean” following the murder.
Pattern of Domestic Abuse Uncovered
Detective Inspector Richard Baird revealed the investigation uncovered evidence of a controlling and violent relationship, stating: “Our investigation uncovered evidence of a controlling and violent relationship with Claire Leveque, where Pearson sought to degrade and abuse her prior to her death.”
The court heard a harrowing audio recording in which Ms Leveque confronted Pearson about an alleged assault on her 24th birthday. Pearson was heard replying: “You deserved every bit of it and more. You’re lucky I didn’t bash your head in.”
In the same recording, Ms Leveque was heard telling Pearson “I love you” before adding prophetically: “You are going to kill me.”
Mother Witnessed Aftermath of Brutal Attack
Pearson’s mother told police her son looked like a “zombie” on the night of the murder. She described how Pearson walked into the kitchen and confessed to hurting Ms Leveque before stabbing himself in the neck with a small black-handled knife.
The elderly woman had attempted to save Ms Leveque, telling the 999 operator: “I tried to get her out of the water. He’s done something really terrible.” She also informed emergency services that her son had been behaving “aggressively” and had turned “extremely violent” in the three weeks leading up to the incident.
Following the attack, Pearson drove his Porsche sports car off Melby Pier into the North Sea before returning to the house where police arrested him. He had also consumed brake fluid and inflicted superficial knife wounds to his own neck.
Chilling Hospital Confession
After being detained, Pearson was taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick for treatment. A&E consultant Dr Caroline Heggie testified that Pearson made a remark which “stuck with her” during his treatment.
She told prosecutor Margaret Barron: “He said ‘I’ve been trying to get rid of her for a while’.”
Dr Heggie said Pearson was later assessed by a consultant psychiatrist who found he wasn’t suffering from any mental illness. Despite his attempts to claim diminished responsibility, medical professionals found no evidence of mood disorder or psychotic illness.
Victim from Small Alberta Town
Claire Leveque was originally from Westlock, Alberta, a community roughly 90 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, where she lived her entire childhood. Her father Clint Leveque revealed she had lost her mother to breast cancer five years ago and had been living and working in Edmonton where she met Pearson.
The couple had travelled to the remote Shetland Islands in October 2023 to stay with Pearson’s elderly mother. The court heard Pearson received his UK citizenship just four days after murdering Ms Leveque.
Ms Leveque’s cousin, Hope Ingram, who travelled from Edmonton to attend the trial, paid tribute to her late relative following the verdict. “She was such a bubbly, fun girl who brought life to every room that she walked into. I miss her terribly,” she said.
Ms Ingram described her cousin as a “phenomenal person” who “wanted to explore the world,” adding: “She wanted to live life and she was a breath of fresh air. I plan on remembering Claire by just trying to live life to the fullest.”
Judge Condemns “Grave Insult” to Victim’s Memory
Lord Arthurson delivered a scathing assessment of Pearson’s conduct, stating: “Your much younger girlfriend, your victim in this case, was isolated and vulnerable in Sandness. You had from almost the outset of her arrival there subjected her to a cruel campaign of violence and coercive control.”
The judge particularly condemned Pearson’s defence strategy of claiming Ms Leveque had inflicted the catastrophic injuries upon herself, calling it “a grave insult to her memory and to her bereaved family.”
He noted that Ms Leveque had sustained “significant defensive injuries” during the attack and that Pearson had even filmed her lifeless body. “Ms Leveque died a squalid death of quite unimaginable multifaceted violence,” Lord Arthurson said.
Family Seeks Justice and Closure
Speaking outside court after the verdict, Ms Ingram thanked those involved in securing justice for her cousin. “This has been a long and exhausting week that was dragged out unnecessarily, and all because of Aren Pearson,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to the detectives, Crown prosecutors, judge and jury members “who sat there and listened to all this intense evidence.”
The family had previously launched fundraising efforts to repatriate Ms Leveque’s remains to Canada. Her cremated ashes were returned to her father in April and will be laid to rest beside her mother in Alberta.
Wider Impact on Shetland Community
Chief Inspector Chris Sewell, Shetland area commander, acknowledged the broader impact of the crime on the island community. “This was a harrowing incident which we know had a wide impact across the local community in our islands,” he said.
The murder shocked the close-knit Shetland community, with a population of just 23,000 people. The remote location of Sandness, on the western coast of mainland Shetland, made the brutal nature of the crime even more disturbing for local residents.
Procurator Fiscal Moira Orr, who leads on homicide investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said there were “few words which can describe the ordeal suffered by Claire Leveque.”
Domestic Violence Concerns Highlighted
Shetland Women’s Aid issued a statement following the verdict, noting that such cases can be triggering for others and urging anyone experiencing similar violence to reach out for help. “Everyone has the right to live free from violence, coercion and control,” the organisation stated.
The charity emphasised that domestic violence “devastates families, friends, and entire communities” and reminded the public “why prevention, early education, and specialist support remain so vital.”
Ms Leveque’s family has highlighted the issue of intimate partner violence, describing it as “a global epidemic affecting 30 per cent of women, according to the WHO. This must change. As a global community, we must do better.”
Detective Inspector Baird concluded: “These actions and his actions after his violent attack which led to her death show him as a cruel and selfish individual and it is right that he will now face the consequences of what he has done.”
Pearson has 14 days from the date of sentencing to lodge his intent to appeal the conviction, sentence or both. The Crown can also appeal the sentence if it feels it is unduly lenient.
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