A man who went on a spending spree after beating a mother-of-two to death in Moray has been jailed for at least 24 years.
Owen Grant, 43, killed Lucretia Donaghy, 32, known as Kiesha, at her home in Elgin in November 2023.
Judge Lord Scott said Grant murdered the “unarmed and defenceless” woman by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a claw hammer or similar implement.
Ms Donaghy died as a result of blunt force head injuries.
Lord Scott described the frenzied attack as “exceptionally savage” and “brutal”.
He told Grant: “Whatever implement you used, whether a claw hammer or something similar, the murder weapon was never found, undoubtedly disposed of by you in calm and calculated efforts to conceal your crime and dispose of any evidence in its immediate aftermath.”
The court heard there had been no evidence of provocation, with Grant accused of murdering Ms Donaghy for money.
Teenage girl raped by masked man in Edinburgh, police say
Scottish government scraps plan for new national park in Galloway
Fife school support worker who boasted of ‘selling vapes to 11-year-olds’ struck off
Lord Scott stated: “On the evidence, you were struggling to pay your rent at the time. On your own evidence, you owed Lucretia Donaghy money for drugs.
“Almost immediately after her death, you embarked, once again calmly, on a spending spree involving attending to your own needs and drug habit.
“You went from having only £12.36 in the bank on 15 November 2023 to frittering away hundreds of pounds on cocaine in a matter of three or four days.
“Frittering away hundreds of pounds of the murdered Lucretia Donaghy’s money entirely on your own selfish purposes. You started to do so before her body had even been discovered, within no more than two hours of her death.”
Follow our channel and never miss an update.
Grant denied any wrongdoing but was on Thursday found guilty of murder following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Lord Scott handed him a life sentence with at least 24 years behind bars.
The judge highlighted a victim impact statement prepared by Ms Donaghy’s mother, Amanda Gow.
Lord Scott said: “She mourns for her daughter and the life Kiesha would have had. Her mind returns constantly to Kiesha’s final minutes, wondering if she was in pain.”
Read more from Sky News:
Woman charged with attempted murder of two police officers
Ages of youngest and oldest Liverpool crash victims released
In a statement released through Police Scotland, Ms Gow thanked all those who have shown support.
She added: “Life without Kiesha will never be the same. She was my only daughter and my first born. Her two daughters will have to live their lives without their mum.
“I still cannot get my head around the fact that she is gone and that her life was taken in such a brutal way.”
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said it had been a “complex enquiry”, but Grant was now facing the consequences of his actions.
She added: “My thoughts remain with Kiesha’s family and friends as they continue to try to come to terms with what happened. I hope the verdict will bring them some form of justice.”
