Double murderer given second life sentence for killing ex-girlfriend

Philip Fraser, 50, murdered Donna Forrest, with whom he had once had a relationship, at her home in Balintore, Easter Ross, on April 11 this year.

He attacked the 30-year-old mother with a knife and a hammer in an act of "appalling violence and barbarity".

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Fraser was out on life licence at the time of the killing, having been released from jail around two years previously.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court in October 1997 for the murder of his former wife, Kathryn Scaife, and was released on life licence on February 15, 2008.

Judge Lord Menzies, sitting in Edinburgh, jailed Fraser for life today and ordered him to spend a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

He warned Fraser he may never be released from prison again.

Passing sentence, Lord Menzies branded Fraser a "very dangerous man".

He told him: "You have pled guilty to the most serious crime known to our law, namely murder.

"You murdered a young woman who had everything to look forward to in life, who had recently completed a university degree and who had done you no wrong.

"You murdered her in an act of appalling violence and barbarity.

"You broke into her house, having first armed yourself with a hammer, took her from her bedroom to the kitchen of the house and struck her several times about her head, fracturing her skull and causing trauma to her brain.

"You inflicted 15 stab wounds to her head and body."

The judge previously heard how the killing followed a campaign of harassment by Fraser against Ms Forrest after she ended their relationship in 2009.

"When she ended that relationship, you pestered her, upset her and made a nuisance of yourself, and then you murdered her," Lord Menzies said.

"You are a very dangerous man."

He spoke of Ms Forrest's close relationships with her parents, brother and sister, and said Fraser had deprived them all of her love, company and support.

The judge said: "You have committed a terrible wrong to each of those members of her family which can never be put right or repaired.

"The terrible thing which you did to Donna Forrest is made all the worse by your dreadful criminal record.

"You committed this murder while released from prison on licence in respect of another murder which you committed in 1997."

He said the only possible sentence for the "pre-meditated" and "awful" crime was life behind bars.

"Standing your previous conviction and the fact that you murdered again whilst on licence, it must be very unlikely that you will ever be released from prison on licence again," the judge told Fraser.

The court heard Fraser lived in a council house in Balintore at the time of the murder and had a short placement working as an electrical repair man.

Ms Forrest, who worked in the local village shop and sub-post office, had recently completed the final year of an Open University degree in psychology and was looking forward to graduation.

The court was told Ms Forrest and Fraser were in a relationship for a period of time but he did not inform his supervising officer about this, as he should have done.

Ms Forrest ended the relationship last year and told friends she was considering moving from Balintore because Fraser was pestering her, seemed "obsessed" with her and was following her about.

The court heard Ms Forrest's neighbours were woken by the sound of banging on her front door in the early hours of Sunday April 11.

Advocate depute John Scullion said: "The accused was seen standing outside Donna Forrest's front door, striking the glass panel of the door.

"The accused then smashed the glass panel and entered the house."

He said that, armed with a clawhammer, Fraser found Ms Forrest and another man in bed, and he told the man to leave.

Mr Scullion said: "The accused and Donna Forrest then made their way from the bedroom downstairs to the kitchen.

"Shortly after the accused was seen to enter Donna Forrest's home, neighbours heard the sound of screaming coming from within the house and contacted the police.

"The screaming continued for a short period before stopping suddenly."

Fraser telephoned police almost immediately afterwards and confessed to the killing. Officers found his victim lying dead in a pool of blood.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had seven "blunt force" injuries from blows to the head with a hammer and 15 stab wounds over her head and body.

The court heard that a number of letters, written by Fraser, were found in Ms Forrest's home after she died.

In one of them, he wrote: "How can I ever trust a woman again? You did this because you wanted to be with another man. I kept my word, you didn't."

In another letter, he said: "I will always have you in my heart, you meant so much to me. I am so sorry it's worked out this way. I just want to hold you and it kills me that I can't.

"I love you and I can't see past it."

Brian McConnachie QC, defending, told the court: "Mr Fraser is in absolutely no doubt that there is nothing at all that I can say which will in any way, shape or form mitigate the circumstances of this offence."

He said Fraser, who has three grown-up children, initially saw his relationship with Ms Forrest as a "fling" but developed strong feelings for her as time went on.

"It's clear that over a period of time he became obsessed with Donna Forrest and what she was doing now that she was no longer in a relationship with him," said Mr McConnachie.

The court heard Fraser began drinking at an early age and now has an alcohol dependency problem.

Mr McConnachie pointed to Fraser's phonecall to police after the attack and said: "He knew from that moment onwards that he was going to prison, and from that moment onwards fully expected that he would never leave prison."

The lawyer said no words could make the case any less horrific than it was and told the court: "Any suggestion that he deeply regrets what has happened, whilst undoubtedly true, is not going to be of any comfort to the family of Donna Forrest."