WARNING: This article contains details of intimate partner violence and may affect those who have experienced that themselves or know someone who has.
A Scottish jury has convicted a man for killing his Canadian girlfriend in the remote Shetland Islands of Scotland, and a judge has ruled he must spend at least 25 years in prison.
Aren Pearson, 41, was found guilty Wednesday of assault and murder in the death of 24-year-old Claire Leveque, who was originally from Westlock, Alta., but had been living and working in Edmonton.
Five other charges, including attempting to defeat the ends of justice, were withdrawn.
In the U.K., a murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence. Judge Paul Arthurson ruled Pearson must serve a minimum of 25 years before he can apply for parole.
Claire Leveque's father, Clint Leveque, right, leaves Edinburgh's High Court of Judiciary on Oct. 10. (BBC )
The whole process has been devastating, said Hope Ingram, a cousin of Leveque's who travelled from Edmonton to attend the trial and support her uncle.
“ Claire and I weren’t just cousins. We were sisters.
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