JUSTICE AT LAST FOR MY DAUGHTER CLAIRE
Claw hammer thug is found guilty of brutally murdering 36-year-old mum
A MURDERER is facing a life sentence after being convicted of bludgeoning a single mum to death with a claw hammer.
Aaron Donald admitted brutally battering 36-year-old Claire Turnbull’s head eight times with the weapon, shattering her skull and showering the room with blood.
Outside court, Claire’s mum Heather, 54, said: “I want to thank the jury and the prosecution team for what they have done.
“I am totally happy with the verdict which has finally brought justice for my daughter.”
Although BY VIC RODRICK the accused, from Torryburn, Fife, confessed to the merciless killing, he claimed he should not be found guilty of murder because his ability to control his actions was “substantially impaired by reason of abnormality of mind” at the time.
However, defence experts admitted their diagnoses were based on Donald’s self-reported claims that prison guards and fellow inmates at Perth Prison had ganged up to repeatedly sexually abuse and rape him.
Donald pushed the boundaries of belief further by telling one psychiatrist that nurses were telepathically monitoring his thoughts because police had had him hypnotised by illusionist Derren Brown so they could find out what crimes he had committed.
The jury at the High Court in Livingston took less than three hours to return a majority verdict of guilty to murder.
Donald showed no emotion as their decision was read out.
It was revealed that Donald had numerous previous convictions for violence including one in 2006 for assault to injury using a hammer.
He also had convictions for attempted robbery, domestic assault and carrying knives.
Judge Lady Scott deferred sentence until November 29 for reports.