'I've tried to get rid of her for a while'

A&E doc tells of comment by accused after girlfriend found dead in hot tub

- BY JAMES MULHOLLAND

A MAN accused of murdering his girlfriend told an A&E doctor he had been trying to get "rid of her for a while", a court heard yesterday.

Dr Caroline Heggie, 45, told jurors that Aren Pearson, 41, made the remark after being admitted to casualty in Lerwick, Shetland.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Pearson had been taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital after being detained in connection with the death of his girlfriend Claire Leveque, 24.

The jury heard Pearson told staff that he had stabbed himself in the neck, had consumed brake fluid and had driven his Porsche off a pier.

This led doctors to administer an antidote for the brake fluid and order a CT scan for his neck injuries.

Prosecutor Margaret Barron asked Dr Heggie: "Did he [Pearson] say something that stuck with you?"