Boot body boyfriend jailed

Williamson admitted culpable homicide

A man who killed his young girlfriend and concealed her body in the boot of his car has been sentenced to seven-and-a half-years in prison.

The High Court in Forfar heard that James Williamson, 21, an apprentice electrician, had been angry that Leanne Thomson had been unfaithful to him while he was working offshore.

He had originally been charged with the murder of the 17-year-old care assistant on 6 July last year in Moray.

However, he admitted a lesser charge of culpable homicide and a further charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

The court also heard that Williamson tried to commit suicide the day after killing Miss Thomson in a struggle in the front of their car.

Advocate Depute Mark Stewart, prosecuting, told Lord Carloway that the 21-year-old drove to Aberdeen to make a confession to police - but could not go through with it.

Police called

The court heard that he then took an overdose of 70 paracetamol tablets.

The police were called after his car, with Miss Thomson's body in the boot, was found at his mother's house in Drummuir.

Williamson told police: "I tried to go to the bobbies yesterday in Aberdeen but couldn't do it.

"I tried to kill myself but I couldn't do that either."

She was stiff and her eyes were open and she was cold James Williamson

Williamson killed Miss Thomson by striking her on the head, biting her on the chest and asphyxiating her by compressing her neck.

He told police: "I just woke up in the car and Leanne was sitting there.

"She was stiff and her eyes were open and she was cold.

"I just freaked out. I tried to waken her but she would not wake up."

A plea in mitigation on behalf of Williamson, of Tocher Terrace, Drummuir, Aberdeenshire, was heard on Wednesday afternoon.

Jailing Williamson, Lord Carloway told him that even though he felt betrayed, he had still taken the life of a young woman.

Speaking after the trial, Leanne's mother, Caroline, 43, expressed anger that her daughter had been described as an "attention seeker" by the defence.

The court had heard that Leanne spent her childhood in and out of care and met Williamson while she was being looked after in a foster family close to his parents' home.

Police found Williamson's car at his mother's house

Miss Thomson said: "Leanne was not an attention seeker but a girl who does not have a happy background herself. She was a girl when she was taken into foster care, taken from her family.

"Leanne had barely got to know that family at the time of her death. We feel that some form of justice has taken place and I feel that we can now try and move on in our lives."

There was also great dissatisfaction that Williamson had been able to plead to a lesser charge.

Miss Thomson said: "Leanne was just a young girl and she was just looking for someone to love her properly.

"Quite possibly, at some point, I would have said that James did love Leanne but I would have thought a lot more of him if he had protected what he really had.

"If there were feelings of jealousy on James's side, he should have made an effort to come home at night.

"She had told him on various occasions that she did not like him working offshore."

Detective Chief Inspector Sandy Kelman said Williamson's decision to plead guilty to culpable homicide confirmed the accused had been responsible for ending Leanne's life.

"Up until this point he has failed to admit that he killed Leanne.

"He compounded this by taking an overdose of medicine which resulted in him being detained in hospital for several weeks. This obviously impeded the progress of our inquiry in that he could not be formally interviewed during this time," he said.