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00:06In court number one, His Majesty's advocate against Aron Pearson.
00:14The point of a trial is that the Crown lay before a jury, an allegation.
00:20And that allegation, in this case, is murder.
00:25What's the emergency there?
00:27Hi, my name is Aron Pearson.
00:28I just killed my girlfriend in a hot tub in the garage.
00:32I stabbed her about 40 times in the heart and in the stomach and in the face and in the
00:39neck and in the back.
00:40What's your girlfriend's name?
00:42Claire Levesque.
00:45In summer of 23, Claire met Aron Pearson, but we never met him.
00:49Claire didn't tell me that she was seeing this guy until she was already in Scotland.
00:56It all happened so quick and I thought everything was fine.
01:01Did she tell you about any injuries or anything?
01:04Nothing at all.
01:05Otherwise, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
01:07My job is to prove to the jury Aron Pearson killed Claire Levesque.
01:13Mr. Levesque, we have some records which suggest there was a telephone call with Aron Pearson that day.
01:19Don't remember it.
01:20There is no onus on an accused person to disprove the case.
01:26I've got no more questions, thank you.
01:28The Crown have to prove the case.
01:31This is just a horror story from the beginning.
01:35I came here, I left everything behind for you.
01:38Why would you hit me?
01:39You're lucky to see how you're f***ing dead, okay?
01:42Him trying to walk out of the courtroom was just unbelievable.
01:46The body map shows severe and significant injuries.
01:50Could any of these injuries have been self-inflicted?
01:54Could they, in principle, have been self-inflicted?
01:57Yes.
01:59All that I'm endeavouring to do is ask questions of which may raise doubt in the minds of the jury.
02:06Mr. Pearson is to give evidence.
02:09As jurors, you must not be swayed by any emotional consideration which you might have.
02:13Every accused is presumed innocent until proved guilty.
02:17The Crown must establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
02:53We had flown into the Shetland Islands.
02:56Then we drove up to Sadness.
02:59It was important so that we could see the things she loved and the places that she had sent pictures
03:07of.
03:10So we could feel like a connection to her there.
03:16I think I needed to go there.
03:18Most of all, to see where she lived and what she was doing there.
03:27You know, you picture, like, somewhere remote.
03:30But, like, this is literally in the middle of nowhere.
03:35It just makes me feel sick to my stomach.
03:43Walking up to the house with Clint, it felt heavy.
03:49I looked in there and I could see where she thought.
03:55It hurt.
03:56It hurt.
03:57It hurt.
03:58It hurt.
04:03It hurt.
04:14It hurt.
04:15It hurt.
04:16It hurt.
04:16It hurt.
04:17It hurt.
04:17It hurt.
04:18It hurt.
04:18It hurt.
04:20It hurt.
04:21It hurt.
04:23It hurt.
04:24I don't know.
04:57Well, good morning, everyone.
04:58You'll remember that on Friday, the advocate deputy closed the Crown case.
05:02Mr Patterson, good morning.
05:04There was a body of evidence led by the Crown.
05:09And thereafter, Mr Pearson has the opportunity to either give evidence or not give evidence.
05:17We had heard that there was a chance that the accused might take the stand.
05:22Of course, you are innocent until you're proven guilty.
05:25He's got every right to not take the stand.
05:28My lord, thank you. Good morning.
05:30Mr Pearson is to give evidence, my lord.
05:37Thank you very much. Would you please come forward, Mr Pearson?
05:43I guess he literally thinks he can win over the jury.
05:48He has to provide an explanation as to how Claire Levesque came to sustain 26 stab wounds.
05:55There are pros and there are cons.
05:57The pros are the accused person may well be believed by the jury.
06:01And the result of that would be an acquittal.
06:04The cons are, of course, that the accused person is then a witness.
06:08They'll be asked questions which could be awkward for them.
06:12And the case will be put to them.
06:18I want to hear what he has to say because I don't think any of it's going to make sense.
06:23Mr Pearson?
06:24Yes.
06:26Do you accept that you were ever abusive towards Claire?
06:34Well, yes and no.
06:37There were times where we drank just far too much and we were abusive to one another.
06:42We got along great when we were sober.
06:45Everything was really good.
06:47I did love her.
06:48I did.
06:49Still do.
06:51Did you ever threaten that you would kill her?
06:54No.
06:56This is a challenging case because of the evidence, of course.
07:00There was a 999 call that was made.
07:03There was an admission by Mr Pearson.
07:07But the issue that was pertinent in relation to the whole case is what happened before the 999 call was
07:17made.
07:17That is the issue in the trial.
07:21Mr Pearson, I'm going to move on and ask you about the day that Claire Levesque died.
07:29We've seen some CCTV of the two of you in your car driving to various places.
07:38Yes.
07:38Now, there was a bottle of liquor.
07:42You bought that and you took it back to the shed.
07:46Correct?
07:47Yes.
07:50So, as the afternoon progressed, what happened?
07:56She was in the shed with me and I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was
08:00already really drunk.
08:01Did you say anything to her?
08:03I remember requesting that she go to bed.
08:07Then she said the words, fuck you, to me.
08:11What happened the next time you saw Claire?
08:14I was in the shed.
08:16She had come through the door furious with me, physically swinging at me.
08:21I believe I had just finished speaking with her father about sending her back.
08:26I believe I offered him some money.
08:28I told him that I had already booked the flights.
08:31She was really, really, really upset with me.
08:35She had heard me speaking to him.
08:39So, when she came in, what happened next?
08:43She literally punched my top plate denture right out of my mouth.
08:48What happened then?
08:50She went over to pee in that garbage can that I used earlier to bail the water out of the
08:58tub.
09:00She was really drunk and I was telling her everything she wanted to hear because she had obviously heard me
09:07speaking with her dad.
09:08She was furious.
09:12Aaron claims that Claire overhears a conversation between Aaron and her dad.
09:23And in that conversation, it said that Aaron is going to take Claire back home to Canada.
09:31He's going to go with her because she can't live here anymore because of the dreadful alcoholic that he claims
09:36that she is.
09:39What happened then?
09:40Next thing I knew, I heard her kind of cough and kind of choke and then fall.
09:46But with a bottle, a grey bottle, a grey fluid to her mouth, she appeared to have drunk it.
09:53She had also fallen over on the floor and was rolling around in her own urine.
09:59There was a struggle on the ground.
10:01She kind of got me in the stomach with her elbow.
10:04At which point, she did a really, really epic faceplant on the arm of the couch.
10:10There's an old black-handled knife that basically had lived in the garage all the time.
10:16She grabbed the knife.
10:19And then she kind of did like a 180, put the knife in her right hand and landed in the
10:25water.
10:32Just give me one second, please.
10:36My opinion on his defense during this trial is it's a farce.
10:42It's just absolute ridiculousness.
10:46She then looked at me, looked at the knife, and stuck it in her stomach.
11:10She then looked at me, looked at the knife, and stuck it in her stomach.
11:19She started screaming, and she repeated to puncture herself here, I believe, like this.
11:29How many times did she stab herself when she was in the hot tub?
11:32Well, I would say four or five.
11:36Do you have any recollection of being in the hot tub with Claire?
11:40No.
11:41Did you take the phone from your mother and speak to the police?
11:46No recollection of that whatsoever.
11:48No, I don't.
11:49Do you have any recollection of saying horrible things and nasty, unpleasant things to police officers?
11:55No.
11:55No, I don't.
11:56No, I don't.
11:59I remember being restrained.
12:04I remember bits and pieces of being in the hospital.
12:07I do not remember speaking in the 999 call.
12:15I don't know what happened.
12:20Mr. Pearson, I have no more questions.
12:28His evidence was quite simple, actually.
12:31And I suppose to put it, to still it down, that was Claire Levesque drinking too much,
12:36and then confronting him, and then causing herself injuries.
12:41And thereafter, his recollection of events was very limited.
12:46Now, advocate, deputy, I expect you have questions for the witness.
12:50Thank you, Louise.
12:54Good afternoon, Mr. Pearson.
12:57Good afternoon.
12:59In cross-examining Aaron Pearson, I want to show the inconsistencies in his evidence.
13:05From the first statement that he made to his mother that he'd hurt Claire,
13:09to the position he adopted at police interview that he couldn't remember,
13:13because he was in shock.
13:15Now, we've heard evidence during this trial that on the 11th of February, Claire Levesque died,
13:23and her cause of death was stab wounds of the neck and chest, wasn't it?
13:30Oh, yes, ma'am.
13:33And you inflicted those stab wounds, didn't you, Mr. Pearson?
13:37Not that I recall, ma'am.
13:39And she tried to defend herself when you were assaulting her, didn't she?
13:44Once again, ma'am, I do not remember.
13:47Do you remember the photographs, Mr. Pearson?
13:50Ma'am, I do remember the photographs, but I don't remember doing anything like that.
13:55And that wasn't the first time you had hurt Claire, was it?
14:00The Crown case is not that Aaron Pearson, suddenly, out of the blue,
14:05decided to assault Claire Levesque on the 11th of February of 2024.
14:10The Crown case is that what happened is, in effect,
14:13the culmination of a number of months of domestically abusive behaviour.
14:19We heard the recording that was recorded on the 12th of December of 2023.
14:24Claire Levesque says to you,
14:26you beat the shit out of me on my 24th birthday.
14:29I see that, yes.
14:31And you tell her that was the second time?
14:34That was the second time we had a significant argument.
14:36No, so you don't deny beating her up,
14:38you accept that you beat her up on the 24th of November, is that right?
14:41I reciprocated, yes.
14:43So by reciprocated, do you mean you hit her?
14:46After being punched in the head several times, yes.
14:49Mr. Pearson?
14:50Ma'am, this is...
14:50Mr. Pearson?
14:51Okay, so my apologies, my apologies.
14:53The question was, did you hit her?
14:55Yes. Yes, I did.
15:04She's just ear-to-ear grinning.
15:08I love this one.
15:09At the beach, she was eating like a pile of sand,
15:11and then later she's spitting it out.
15:19Claire was a very prominent part of my life growing up
15:22and through later years of her life.
15:27We spent our whole childhood together.
15:39In late November, I received some messages from Claire
15:45that kind of changed the story about the safety of where she was.
15:50She said that she had been abused by Erin Pearson.
15:56And upon hearing that, I grew very worried
15:59and very concerned about her well-being.
16:02I was telling her, like, if it happens once,
16:04it's going to happen again.
16:04You've got to get out of this situation.
16:06You've got to get out of here.
16:08I started implementing a plan to come pick her up,
16:12to get Claire home,
16:13and get her out of this relationship safely.
16:17But the next day, she said that everything was fine,
16:20that everything was okay,
16:21and that everything was worked out.
16:24But in my gut, though,
16:25I just knew something wasn't right.
16:29I was going to come pick her up.
16:34I would have just came a little bit sooner.
16:39I miss her a lot.
16:50You told your mum on the 11th of February of 2024
16:55that you had hurt Claire, didn't you?
16:58According to my mum, yes.
17:02And that was after you had returned to the house,
17:05after driving your car into the sea, wasn't it?
17:09According to my mum, yes.
17:14The Crown case is that after Aaron Pearson
17:17had either killed Claire Levesque
17:20or injured her so badly
17:21that he thought that he had killed her,
17:23he drove his car into the sea
17:26at a point very close by to the house in Sanis.
17:36Aaron had already got quite a reputation
17:38for his fast driving across the island.
17:48He had a very fancy silver Porsche.
17:52He drove it everywhere.
17:54He set up a YouTube channel.
18:01And Claire, you would buy into that, wouldn't you?
18:05This is a wealthy man.
18:07He's got a Porsche.
18:10And I also heard that the reason he had the Porsche
18:14was that he was buying and selling drugs on that island.
18:19But nothing was ever proven.
18:25How long would it take you to drive from the house
18:29to the point where we saw the tyre tracks
18:32going off onto the grass and then into the sea?
18:35In a hypothetical scenario,
18:37because once again I can't remember doing it,
18:39but in a hypothetical scenario,
18:41it could be seconds to a minute, maybe.
18:57Now, I don't know why Aaron Pearson
18:59drove his car into the sea.
19:01That's for him to explain.
19:03But it adds to our timeline.
19:05Because having visited the island,
19:08I know that that beach
19:09is only a very short drive from the house.
19:15So if you drove into the sea,
19:18swam to the shore,
19:19and then walked back,
19:21you could probably do all of that
19:22in about 15 minutes, maybe 10 minutes.
19:24Would that be fair to say?
19:26It would be fair to say that.
19:31He is seen walking back from the beach area
19:35at about quarter to five in the evening.
19:39I just thought that it was weird
19:42that he was just walking back to the house.
19:46That, to me, was extremely weird.
19:52Again, that's a key marker in the timeline.
19:55Because it's shortly after that
19:57that we have the 999 call
19:59made by Janet Pearson.
20:02She's bleeding and dying in a hot tub.
20:08Why did you drive your car into the sea?
20:12Again, I can't remember doing that.
20:14So did you do that
20:15after you had stabbed Claire Levesque
20:17multiple times, Mr Pearson?
20:19I did not stab Claire multiple times,
20:21to my knowledge.
20:22And you inflicted superficial wounds
20:25to your neck.
20:28According to the photograph and my mum.
20:31You told the 999 operator
20:33that you killed her
20:35because she drank too much
20:37and acted like an idiot
20:39and she'd pissed you off.
20:41Yeah, that was me.
20:44But once again,
20:45I can't remember saying it.
20:46Well, the question isn't about
20:47what you remember, Mr Pearson.
20:49I'm just making myself clear
20:50I didn't want you to twist my words.
20:52You assaulted her
20:54by stabbing her
20:5526 times, Mr Pearson.
20:59How many times
21:00do I need to repeat myself, ma'am?
21:04It was such a violent assault
21:06that it left a piece of the knife
21:08embedded in her skull
21:09and you did that, didn't you?
21:12That's what the evidence
21:13is saying, I suppose.
21:16It was just the constant
21:17I don't know,
21:19I don't know, ma'am.
21:20Like, I don't know.
21:21It...
21:23It was like,
21:23why did you even take the stand?
21:35So Crown Production 87
21:37is the transcript
21:38of the interview
21:39that was conducted
21:40on the 13th of February of 2024
21:43at Lowell Police Office.
21:45And at the top of page three,
21:46the police officer says,
21:47OK, you know she's obviously
21:50passed away
21:50and you say,
21:51yeah, I've been hearing it in here.
21:54Yeah, one of the officers
21:56told me in there, yeah.
21:58So are you saying
21:59that it wasn't until
22:00you were interviewed
22:01by police on the 13th of February
22:03that you knew
22:03that Claire had died?
22:05That's correct.
22:07You took a video of yourself
22:09sitting in the hot tub
22:10with Claire in the hot tub,
22:11didn't you?
22:12I highly doubt that.
22:32Aaron Pearson says
22:34he can't remember
22:34what happened
22:35after he said
22:38Claire stabbed herself.
22:39But there was a video
22:40that he had recorded himself.
22:44And I want to use that
22:46to again point out
22:47an inconsistency
22:48in his account.
22:51He was
22:53in the hot tub
22:54with Claire still
22:56when the police showed up.
22:59My lord, I wish to play
23:00that particular piece of video
23:02just 15 seconds.
23:04And if you can listen
23:04carefully to it as well,
23:06Mr. Pearson.
23:07Sure, OK.
23:13Come on in!
23:16Fucking do.
23:19Fuck you,
23:20you fucking pig.
23:25Now that's your voice,
23:27isn't it, Mr. Pearson?
23:28It is, ma'am.
23:28Yep.
23:29We see a hand there,
23:30Mr. Pearson.
23:32And that's Claire Levesque
23:33in the hot tub with you.
23:35I'm not sure.
23:37I don't see...
23:39So you're in the hot tub.
23:40I can't confirm
23:41because, like I said,
23:42I don't...
23:44I don't know.
23:45Mr. Pearson, I can show
23:46the footage that shows her face.
23:48I'm loathe to do that, my lord.
23:49Please don't.
23:50I can't.
23:53If you're required
23:53to do it, Advocate Depute,
23:55then you proceed
23:56as you see fit.
23:56Thank you, ma'am.
23:57If we can...
23:57Again, I warn those
23:58who are in the court...
24:00No, please don't show that.
24:01...that this will show
24:01the face of the deceased
24:03very briefly.
24:05I'm conscious
24:06that these kinds
24:07of images
24:07are very distressing.
24:10And while it's something
24:11that I don't
24:12choose to do lightly,
24:13if it's an important
24:15piece of evidence,
24:15I will have to show
24:16that piece of evidence.
24:20I'm not looking at it.
24:24I didn't even recognise her.
24:27She was so pale.
24:30And you...
24:31I didn't recognise her face.
24:33It was just...
24:35It was awful.
24:36I wasn't expecting that
24:38at all.
24:41There is an audible
24:43intake of breath
24:45when we're showing Claire
24:46in the hot tub.
24:47The jury
24:49have their head
24:50in their hands.
24:52Some of them
24:53are crying.
24:54Can we just stop
24:56that there?
24:59I can only imagine
25:00how tough it is
25:02for the officers.
25:05Somebody is
25:06so, so severely injured
25:08and somebody's
25:09just confessed
25:10to actually killing them
25:11on the phone
25:12while they're actively
25:14driving to this call.
25:20We obviously saw it
25:21just there
25:22when we were at the house
25:23and...
25:24But you just don't
25:25think about it
25:25at the time.
25:27The only time
25:28I really thought
25:28about things
25:29was when I saw
25:30a picture of Claire
25:31in the local press
25:33and it was just a shock
25:35because you're just
25:37seeing a young lass,
25:38like a pretty young lass
25:39and that's not the person
25:41that I saw
25:41in the garage.
25:46Now, we saw
25:48the face of Claire Levesque
25:49in that video,
25:51Mr. Pearson.
25:53Okay.
25:54You took that video,
25:55didn't you?
25:57I'm assuming so.
25:59And yet you wish
25:59to maintain
26:00that you did not know
26:01that Claire was dead
26:02when the police
26:03interviewed you
26:04two days later.
26:06I maintain that, ma'am.
26:09You were angry.
26:10You were shouting
26:11and swearing
26:12at the police
26:13when Claire was lying
26:14dead in that hot tub,
26:16weren't you,
26:16Mr. Pearson?
26:18Yes, in that video, yeah.
26:20You murdered Claire Levesque,
26:22didn't you?
26:22As far as I remember,
26:23no, ma'am.
26:25No further questions.
26:26Thank you, Mudd.
26:31He couldn't explain
26:32what he had done that day,
26:33so he was now
26:34making up a story
26:35and in doing so,
26:37he was further
26:38abusing Claire.
26:54Members of the jury,
26:55we're now ready
26:56to proceed
26:56to the next phase
26:57of the trial
26:58in which counsel
26:58will be addressing you
26:59directly from the lectern.
27:00Please feel free
27:01to continue to take
27:02whatever notes
27:03you think will assist you
27:04in your deliberations.
27:09The jury has a lot
27:10to consider.
27:12I have to be able
27:13to establish
27:14beyond a reasonable doubt
27:15that Aaron Pearson
27:16not only killed
27:17Claire Levesque
27:18but that he murdered her.
27:20And that's a slightly
27:21different test.
27:24I now invite
27:25the advocate deputy
27:26to address you
27:27for the Crown.
27:27Advocate deputy.
27:28Thank you, Mr. Paul.
27:31Thank you, my lord.
27:33Good morning,
27:34members of the jury.
27:36You're going to kill me.
27:38That is what
27:40Claire Levesque
27:41said to the accused,
27:42Aaron Pearson,
27:44on the 12th of December
27:45of 2023.
27:48Just two short
27:50months later,
27:51Aaron Pearson
27:52said to a 999
27:54call operator,
27:55My name is Aaron Pearson.
27:58I've just killed
27:59my girlfriend
28:00in the hot tub
28:01in the garage
28:02at Ringville
28:03the Annex Sanis.
28:06He went on
28:07to describe
28:07how he had
28:08definitely killed her
28:10to make sure
28:12I drowned her
28:13after I stabbed her
28:14several times
28:15and beat her
28:17the fuck up
28:18really badly.
28:24Obviously,
28:25what was said
28:26in that 999 call
28:27was a very significant
28:29piece of evidence
28:31in the trial.
28:32There's no
28:32getting away from that.
28:34Now, of course,
28:35Mr. Pearson
28:36explained that
28:37he couldn't recollect
28:38that 999 call.
28:40That was his position
28:41he adopted.
28:42This is a
28:43very tragic
28:45set of events.
28:48But what you can't
28:49do, members
28:50of the jury,
28:50is to bring
28:52emotions
28:53into your
28:54decision making.
28:55In Scotland,
28:57the level
28:58or standard
28:59of proof
28:59is proof
29:01beyond
29:02a reasonable doubt.
29:03And what I
29:04say to
29:05almost every
29:06jury that I
29:06speak to
29:07is this.
29:08If
29:09you were to
29:11pause or
29:11hesitate
29:12in relation
29:13to
29:15an allegation,
29:17that pause,
29:18that hesitation,
29:20our law says
29:21is a reasonable
29:21doubt.
29:23Your duty
29:24is then
29:25to acquit.
29:29When Claire
29:30says to
29:30Aaron Pearson,
29:31you beat the
29:32shit out of me
29:33on my 24th birthday,
29:34his response
29:35was not a denial.
29:37No,
29:37what he said
29:38was that was
29:38the second time.
29:40He also
29:41appears to
29:42blame Claire
29:43for him
29:44hitting her.
29:45Does that
29:46sound familiar?
29:47Because on
29:48the evidence
29:48we heard
29:49yesterday
29:50and today,
29:51Aaron Pearson
29:52appears to
29:52blame Claire
29:53Levesque
29:54for inflicting
29:55the stab wounds
29:56on herself.
29:58The suggestion
29:59made by the
29:59Crown to
30:00Mr Pearson
30:00was that his
30:01testimony was
30:02fabricated
30:02and not
30:04true.
30:05But I
30:06suppose my
30:07function is
30:07to look at
30:08the evidence
30:08and try and
30:09say, well,
30:10these are the
30:11aspects which
30:12support him.
30:15I'm asking
30:16you to bring
30:16your common
30:16sense to
30:17this.
30:17If he's
30:18just going
30:18to come
30:18up with
30:18a fabricated
30:20total nonsense
30:21of a story,
30:24why not
30:24just say
30:24she did
30:25everything to
30:26herself?
30:26Because he's
30:27not said
30:27that.
30:29He said
30:29he's got
30:30no memory.
30:31He said
30:32he saw
30:32inflicting
30:33wounds to
30:34herself,
30:35there being
30:35blood and
30:36then no
30:36memory.
30:38Maybe
30:39members of
30:39the jury
30:39come to
30:40the view
30:40that perhaps
30:42she had
30:42had too
30:43much to
30:44drink.
30:45Perhaps
30:45she was
30:46drunk.
30:51The
30:51pathologist
30:52told you
30:52it's
30:53entirely
30:54unrealistic
30:55to suggest
30:56Claire Levesque
30:56inflicted
30:57those
30:58stab wounds
30:58on herself.
31:00It didn't
31:01seem to
31:01suggest that
31:01they couldn't
31:02have happened.
31:04And it may
31:05be members of
31:05the jury
31:05that you're
31:06left thinking,
31:06well,
31:07really,
31:07where were we
31:08are?
31:08Where are
31:09we with
31:09that evidence?
31:12This is
31:12what his
31:13whole life
31:13is riding
31:14on.
31:15Suicide.
31:16Claire
31:16killing
31:16herself and
31:17doing this
31:17to herself.
31:19I thought
31:20it was a
31:20joke.
31:21The
31:22evidence
31:22tells you,
31:23members of
31:23the jury,
31:24Aaron Pearson
31:25murdered Claire
31:26Levesque.
31:28If he's
31:28going to
31:28lie,
31:30you know,
31:31you might
31:31think it
31:31would be a
31:32big lie.
31:34But if he's
31:35telling the
31:35truth,
31:35members of
31:36the jury,
31:38you ought
31:38to acquit
31:39him.
31:47So,
31:48members of
31:48the jury,
31:49you've now
31:49heard all
31:49the evidence
31:50in this
31:50case.
31:51For the
31:52Crown to
31:52prove the
31:53crime of
31:53murder,
31:53you would
31:54have to
31:54be satisfied
31:55beyond
31:55reasonable
31:56doubt that
31:56the accused,
31:57Aaron Pearson,
31:58killed Claire
31:59Levesque on
32:0011th February
32:012024.
32:03The starting
32:04point of the
32:04Crown case is
32:05what the
32:05advocate
32:06depute
32:06characterised
32:07as the
32:07admission
32:08evidence
32:08featuring in
32:09the 999
32:09call,
32:10which the
32:11advocate
32:11depute
32:12described as
32:12a remarkably
32:13accurate
32:13account of
32:14events.
32:15The advocate
32:15depute also
32:16referred you
32:17to the
32:17hot tub
32:17video and
32:18to further
32:18comments made
32:19by the
32:20accused to
32:20police
32:21witnesses.
32:22The advocate
32:23depute submitted
32:23that corroboration
32:24for this
32:25evidence could
32:26be and was
32:27located in the
32:27evidence of
32:28Dr.
32:28Ainsworth on
32:29the sites
32:29and number of
32:30injuries,
32:31the force
32:31required to
32:32inflict them,
32:32and the
32:33issue of
32:34self-infliction.
32:36Mr.
32:36Patterson
32:37advanced the
32:37following
32:38submissions.
32:39Dr.
32:40Ainsworth's
32:40testimony did
32:42not go to
32:42that point of
32:43suggesting that
32:44self-infliction
32:45was utterly
32:46impossible or
32:47could not have
32:48happened.
32:48And you may be
32:49left wondering,
32:50Mr.
32:51Patterson observed,
32:52where Dr.
32:52Ainsworth's
32:53opinion takes
32:54you as a
32:54jury.
32:55When you look
32:56at the
32:56whole evidence
32:57and the
32:58support for
32:58Mr.
32:58Pearson's
32:59account,
32:59in particular
33:00in the
33:01messages,
33:01you may come
33:02to the view
33:03that the
33:04Crown has
33:04failed to
33:05prove that
33:05Mr.
33:06Pearson is
33:07guilty on
33:07murder.
33:10You are
33:11the judges
33:11of the facts
33:12and you decide
33:13what's been
33:14proved and
33:14what hasn't.
33:15It's all
33:16a matter
33:17for you.
33:25Whenever a
33:25jury goes out
33:26to consider
33:26their verdict,
33:27I can't
33:28second-guess
33:28what that
33:28verdict will
33:29be.
33:30And it is
33:30very nerve-wracking.
33:36I'm wondering,
33:37have the
33:38Crown done
33:38enough here?
33:41Some juries
33:42can be quick,
33:43some can be
33:43slow.
33:45Some can
33:45take five
33:46minutes,
33:46some can
33:46take five
33:47hours or
33:47five days.
33:49You don't
33:49know what's
33:50going on in
33:50the jury
33:50deliberation
33:51room.
33:51What are
33:52the arguments
33:52other people
33:53are making?
33:54Did
33:54something
33:55stick out
33:55to them
33:55that didn't
33:56stick out
33:56to me?
34:01Mr. Pearson
34:02has explained
34:03his position,
34:05so it's over
34:06to the jury
34:06to decide
34:07whether or not
34:07the Crown
34:08have proved
34:08the case
34:08beyond a
34:09reasonable
34:09doubt,
34:09which is a
34:10very high
34:10standard,
34:11a very high
34:11standard.
34:12In the
34:13High Court
34:13of Justiciary,
34:14in Court
34:15number one,
34:16this is a
34:17verdict.
34:23of the
34:24seven original
34:25charges,
34:26only two
34:26remain.
34:28Charge
34:28two,
34:29the charge
34:30of domestic
34:30abuse over
34:31a prolonged
34:32period of
34:33time,
34:34and charge
34:34number four,
34:35of course,
34:36murder.
34:47I hope
34:48that having
34:48done my job
34:49properly,
34:50I've given
34:50them sufficient
34:51evidence that
34:51they can rely on,
34:53but the jury
34:53verdict is a
34:54jury verdict.
35:04Oh, Lord.
35:09Good afternoon,
35:10thank you.
35:18Members of the
35:19jury,
35:19will your
35:20spokesperson
35:20please stand
35:21up?
35:25Have you
35:26reached your
35:27verdict?
35:27Yes.
35:29What is your
35:30verdict in
35:30respect of
35:31Aaron Bylock
35:31Pearson on
35:32charge two
35:33on the
35:34indictment?
35:34Guilty.
35:36Is that a
35:36unanimous or
35:37a majority
35:38decision?
35:38Unanimous.
35:40What is your
35:40verdict in
35:41respect of
35:41Aaron Bylock
35:42Pearson on
35:43charge four
35:44on the
35:44indictment?
35:45Guilty.
35:46Is that a
35:47unanimous or
35:47a majority
35:48decision?
35:48Unanimous.
35:54members of
35:55the jury,
35:55thank you
35:56for your
35:56attention.
36:01I had no
36:02doubt in my
36:02mind there
36:02was going to
36:03be anybody
36:03on his
36:04side.
36:08Of course
36:08he did it.
36:09There is no
36:10defense.
36:12Aaron Bylock
36:13Pearson,
36:13you have
36:14today on
36:14the
36:15unanimous
36:15verdict of
36:16the jury
36:16been convicted
36:17of a crime
36:17of exceptional
36:18depravity,
36:20namely the
36:20murder of
36:21Miss Claire
36:21Levesque.
36:22Your own
36:23evidence was
36:23in my view
36:24an exercise
36:24from start
36:25to finish
36:25in victim
36:26blaming.
36:27This malicious,
36:28vindictive and
36:29wholly fabricated
36:30account suggests
36:31certainly to me
36:32that you have
36:32sought to
36:33continue to
36:33humiliate your
36:34victim after
36:35her death,
36:35even in this
36:36courtroom in
36:37the presence of
36:38her grieving
36:38family.
36:50you stole my
36:51little girl,
36:53my best friend,
36:54my life.
36:55Okay,
36:56there's Claire
36:57going home.
36:58I will not get
36:58to hug my
36:59daughter again,
37:00to see her
37:00smile,
37:01or hear her
37:02laugh.
37:02There's Claire
37:03and her daddy.
37:05You stole the
37:05children she
37:06would have
37:06had.
37:07I will never
37:08get to be a
37:08grandpa to
37:09her babies.
37:11You stole my
37:12life.
37:13I am not happy
37:14like I once
37:15was.
37:16In fact,
37:17I feel guilty
37:18when I feel
37:18any happiness.
37:20Her light is
37:21gone.
37:22You stole
37:23Claire's light.
37:25I am not a
37:26hateful man.
37:28However,
37:29I hate you.
37:30Absolutely.
37:32I hate that
37:32you get to
37:33wake up each
37:33day,
37:34and she will
37:35not.
37:36I hate that
37:37you live,
37:37and she does
37:39not.
37:41You stole
37:42my little
37:42girl,
37:44and yet you
37:45get to live.
37:46How is that
37:47fair?
37:49That's
37:50correct.
37:52Ms. Levesque
37:53died a
37:53squalid death
37:54of quite
37:55unimaginable,
37:57multifaceted
37:57violence.
37:58This was a
37:59sustained
37:59episode of
38:00Feral Butchery,
38:02Aaron Pearson's
38:03stand-up.
38:04On charge
38:05two,
38:06you will
38:06serve a
38:06sentence of
38:07imprisonment
38:07of two
38:07years.
38:08On charge
38:09four,
38:10I now pass
38:10upon you,
38:11on a
38:11concurrent
38:11basis,
38:12a sentence
38:13of imprisonment
38:13for life.
38:14I fixed the
38:15punishment part
38:15of this
38:16disposal at
38:16a period
38:17of 25
38:17years.
38:18That is
38:19all.
38:26As
38:28he said,
38:2825 years,
38:29I watched
38:30him tense
38:30like a
38:30ball,
38:31and I
38:32just
38:32thought,
38:33good.
38:34Good.
38:36He deserves
38:36it.
38:37He had no
38:37mercy.
38:38He deserves
38:38none.
38:39And that's
38:40how I feel.
38:54I express my
38:55thanks to
38:55councillor.
38:56Thank you,
38:56Lord.
38:57Thank you,
38:57Lord.
38:57Thank you,
39:00I've known a few
39:01people who are
39:03murderers.
39:03Aaron Pearson
39:06is the most
39:07cold-blooded
39:08murderer I
39:10have ever
39:11come across.
39:20There's no
39:22chance of
39:22forgiveness.
39:23These people
39:25don't belong
39:25in society.
39:28There's no
39:29fix in this
39:30tape.
39:33It was
39:34important for
39:35me to find
39:36Clint and
39:37Jenny to
39:37see how
39:38they were.
39:40It's
39:41clean and
39:41emotional time
39:42for them.
39:43And it was
39:43also a very
39:44emotional meeting.
39:47I gave her a
39:48hug because she
39:48did such a good
39:49job.
39:50She was good.
39:52She was our
39:52voice.
39:54She was our
39:55fight.
39:57I can't
39:58imagine what
39:59it was like
40:00for Clint and
40:01Jenny and
40:02Claire's family
40:02to sit through
40:04the evidence.
40:05It was
40:06harrowing at
40:06times.
40:07It was
40:07graphic at
40:08times.
40:08But they
40:09showed
40:10remarkable
40:10strength and
40:11dignity in
40:12sitting through
40:13that evidence.
40:27today we were
40:29able to get
40:29justice for
40:30Claire and
40:31hopefully start
40:33a new path and
40:34helping other
40:35victims suffering
40:36from domestic
40:37violence and
40:37being able to
40:38move forward
40:38and come
40:39forward.
40:41Claire was so
40:42isolated in
40:43Shetland but
40:44she was such a
40:45phenomenal
40:46person and
40:49I miss her
40:50terribly.
41:03Oh there's
41:04a woodpecker
41:05but Claire and
41:07I like we'd
41:09meet up after
41:09work.
41:10She was always
41:11up for a good
41:12walk.
41:13All these
41:14trails have
41:14memories of
41:16our conversations.
41:20Claire was out
41:21in Shetland all
41:23alone and so
41:25far away from
41:26everybody who
41:27loved and cared
41:28about her.
41:31But I didn't
41:32think I was
41:32going to get a
41:33call saying she
41:34was killed.
41:39Although I
41:40don't see her
41:41on those trails
41:42anymore I feel
41:43her presence.
41:44It was a tough
41:44couple weeks
41:49I miss her so
41:49much.
41:51I miss her so
41:52much.
42:15we were able to
42:16go and spend
42:18some time on
42:19the beach that
42:20she loved.
42:24Where she was
42:25walking the
42:25dog.
42:35It's nice to
42:36actually see it
42:36like be here.
42:38I feel
42:39closer.
42:42And we
42:43were lucky
42:44enough to be
42:45able to bring
42:45back some
42:46stones.
42:47It's not
42:48much but
42:49just to have
42:50something from
42:51a place that
42:51she loved.
42:57I remember
42:57my sister
42:58Claire as
42:59a bright
43:00and bold
43:01really a
43:02one of a
43:03kind soul.
43:06I want her
43:07to be
43:07remembered for
43:08the beautiful
43:10girl that she
43:10was.
43:14She'll
43:15forever be in
43:15my heart.
43:24Me,
43:25Hope,
43:25William.
43:28That's for
43:29them.
43:33My daughter
43:34was being
43:36abused.
43:38Now I see
43:39it.
43:42Every day,
43:43I miss her.
43:45Every day.
44:08I miss her.
44:27¶¶
44:44¶¶
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