A man who allegedly murdered his lover in a stabbing frenzy told police to shoot him, a court has heard.

Aren Pearson is accused of killing Claire Leveque in February last year.

The 41-year-old, who denies murder and several other charges, is currently on trial at the High Court of Edinburgh.

Officer Kevin Simpson, aged 32, testified in court that after responding to a 999 call the night of the alleged murder, he was among the first officers to reach the mother of the accused in Shetland.

When prosecutor Margaret Barron inquired about what Pearson had said, the officer recounted, ‘Those who commit murder deserve to be eliminated. Put me in the execution box. Take me out to the wilderness and shoot me.’

When Ms Barron asked him what the boonies were, PC Simpson replied that it was a rural part of North America.

Earlier on in the day, jurors were told of statements given by Pearson’s now late mother, on the night of February 11, 2024.

The 71-year-old, who passed away in May, told police her son had looked like a ‘zombie’.

Aren Pearson is accused of killing Claire Leveque, pictured

The mother stated she had seen her son inflict a stab wound to his own neck, and informed the police that he confessed to driving his car into the ocean before claiming he had harmed Ms. Leveque, age 24.

Mrs Pearson told officers she went to the victim’s home in Sandness and found her within the hot tub adding: ‘The water was red with blood.

‘Claire was covered with blood. She had severe injuries to her face.’

She called 999 in her son’s presence and describing the call to police added: ‘He was calm and was acting strangely.

‘I told the officer on the phone that Aren was there and I passed the phone to Aren who spoke to the officer.

‘Aren did not look like my son. He was just like the way a zombie looks.’

On the opening day of the trial on Tuesday, a recording of the call was played for the jurors, where they heard Pearson, who hails from Canada, taking the phone from his mother to inform the operator: ‘Hello, hi, I’m Aren Pearson. I’ve just killed my girlfriend in the hot tub located in the garage. I stabbed her roughly 40 times and also inflicted four stab wounds to my own neck.’

‘I drove my Porsche directly into the sea – it’s no longer there. She is deceased. I definitely killed her, and to ensure that, I drowned her after stabbing her multiple times.’

Yesterday, the court heard Mrs Pearson had been born in Shetland before moving to Canada in the early 1970 with her son born there in 1984.

She moved back to the island in September 2022 and her son came to live with her.

He was unsuccessful in applying for a UK passport meaning he couldn’t work and returned briefly to Edmonton, in Alberta, where he met Ms Leveque.

Mrs Pearson told officers her son’s partner had been ‘good natured’ and helped with house work.

The mother further informed the police that on the day the alleged murder took place, the couple appeared to have ‘no issues’ whatsoever – they had gone shopping, and jurors were presented with CCTV footage showing the two visiting stores.

In one statement, she said she her son had several previous girlfriends and that she was not aware of any cases of domestic abuse.

In another one, Mrs Pearson said he had been ‘very depressed’ and ‘wished he wasn’t here’.

Although she said Ms Leveque had also been on anti-depressants, ‘they seemed very happy together’.

But she also told officers a parcel addressed to Ms Leveque had arrived from someone called Jeremey (corr) with the package handed to detectives.

On Tuesday, jurors were read a statement of evidence which prosecutors and defence lawyers have agreed is proven and uncontroversial.

They heard that the cause of death was established as ‘stab wounds of the neck and chest’.

It was agreed that the male voice heard on the 999 call was Aren Pearson and that his mother died aged 72 in May.

Prosecutors claim that Pearson assaulted Ms Leveque by repeatedly striking her on the head, neck and body with a knife.

They also claim that he repeatedly inflicted blunt-force trauma to her head, neck and body by ‘means unknown’.

Prosecutors then claim that Pearson compressed Ms Leveque’s neck and did ‘submerge her head and body in water’ and that he murdered her.

He faces a total of seven charges including allegations he behaved in a ‘threatening and abusive manner’ towards Ms Leveque, acted aggressively towards her, assaulted her and attempted to defeat the ends of justice following the alleged murder. 

Pearson is said to have sent messages to two men informing them that he intended to provide Ms Leveque with money and a plane ticket.

He is said to have told Clint Leveque that [his daughter] Claire was in ‘good health’ and that he had booked flights for her to return to Canada.

Pearson is also accused of driving a car into the sea, taking possession of a knife and striking himself with the blade in the neck in his mother’s presence.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The trial, before judge Lord Arthurson, continues.