Murderer severed head of his victim

Killer texted mother to say she was asleep

- By Grant McCabe

A POSTMAN has admitted stabbing his girlfriend to death before decapitating her and trying to dismember her body.

Ewan Methven killed Phoenix Spencer-Horn before dialling 999 insisting he had suffered a drug-induced blackout and could not remember what he had done.

The 27-year-old also pretended to the victim’s mother that her daughter was still alive before trawling the internet for porn.

Horrified police discovered Ms Spencer-Horn’s head had been placed upright next to her body under her left arm.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had suffered 20 stab wounds to her chest, face and buttocks.

At the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Methven admitted murdering the 21-year-old at their home in East Kilbride in November.

His own lawyer said that those close to Ms Spencer-Horn would regard him as “the personification of evil”.

The couple started dating two years before the killing and had recently moved into a top-floor one-bedroom flat.

Methven was employed by Royal Mail and Ms Spencer-Horn, known as Phe, worked part time at the Strathaven Hotel and a local coffee shop. She had worked on the day of her murder and was described as being in “good spirits”.

Methven had texted her during her shift complaining of feeling “lonely” to which Ms Spencer-Horn apologised.

He then ordered a takeaway that the couple ate when she returned home.

Ms Spencer-Horn contacted her mother at 9.37pm and told her she was at home having dinner. It was the last communication Alison Spencer had with her daughter.