10 Infamous Aberdeen Murders

Aberdeenshire in Scotland is a peaceful and relatively crime free area. However history has seen its involvement in some of the most notorious murder cases in British Legal History. We highlight 10 of them below, in no particular order.

NO1

The murder of Dr. Brenda Page was a high-profile Aberdeen cold case from 1978 that was finally solved in 2023 with the conviction of her ex-husband, Christopher Harrisson. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Dr. Brenda Page, a brilliant 32-year-old genetics expert and the principal of the genetics department at the University of Aberdeen medical school.

Crime: Dr. Page was found brutally bludgeoned to death in her flat on Allan Street, Aberdeen, on July 14, 1978. She had suffered more than 20 head and face injuries.

Perpetrator: Her ex-husband, Christopher "Kit" Harrisson, a fellow research scientist. They had divorced a year prior amid accusations of domestic abuse and Harrisson's controlling behaviour; Dr. Page had a restraining order against him.

Motive: The marriage was unhappy, and Dr. Page had expressed a deep-rooted fear that Harrisson would kill her. A chilling letter she wrote to her solicitor stated: "If I do depart this earth rather suddenly, do please make sure I get a good post mortem". 

The Investigation and Conviction

Harrisson was a primary suspect in 1978, but there was insufficient evidence at the time to charge him. The case went cold for decades until it was reopened in 2015 by Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team. 

Advances in forensic science proved crucial:

DNA Evidence: Semen found on a duvet in Dr. Page's flat was analyzed using modern techniques and was found to be 590 million times more likely to have come from Harrisson than any other man.

Forensic Evidence: Tiny flakes of green paint found near the forced-open bedroom window matched paint from Harrisson's Mini Traveller car. 

Harrisson was arrested in March 2020. In March 2023, after a 10-day trial at the High Court in Aberdeen, an 82-year-old Harrisson was found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years, meaning he will likely die in custody.

NO2

The murder of George Murdoch (known as "Dod" to his family) is a notorious unsolved cold case from 1983 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The 58-year-old taxi driver was brutally killed by a passenger using a cheese wire garrotte, earning the culprit the grim moniker of the "Cheese Wire Killer". 

Details of the Case

Victim: George Murdoch, a well-liked and kind-hearted taxi driver who had taken the job to make ends meet after being made redundant.

Date and Location: On the evening of Thursday, September 29, 1983, at around 8:45 pm, he was attacked on the dimly lit Pitfodels Station Road, on the outskirts of Aberdeen.

Crime Details: Murdoch picked up a fare on Queen's Road heading toward the Culter area. Shortly after turning onto Pitfodels Station Road, the passenger attacked him with a cheese wire. Murdoch fought for his life and managed to escape the taxi, but his assailant caught him and strangled him to death in the street. The killer stole his wallet and takings of £21-£35, but the motive is not definitively known as George had always said he would not resist a robbery.

Witnesses: Two teenage boys cycling by witnessed the struggle and alerted the police, but it was too late to save George. One boy described seeing the killer straddling George with his hands around his neck.

Killer Description: The killer was described as a slim man in his 20s or 30s with dark, short hair, and dark clothing. 

Current Status (Unsolved)

No one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with the murder. The case remains open and is actively reviewed by Police Scotland's Major Investigation Team. 

DNA Breakthrough: In September 2023, police announced a major development: forensic advancements had allowed them to identify a male DNA profile from the crime scene material. The profile, referred to as "Male Z", did not match anyone on the national database.

Familial DNA Searching: The profile has since been enhanced to allow for familial DNA searching, where police are contacting individuals with possible genetic matches to the killer to help with inquiries. Police are particularly interested in people with connections to the Bristol area, as the specific type of cheese wire used was only sold there through a particular organization at the time.

No 3

The murder of Jill Barclay was a high-profile case from 2022 in Aberdeen where the victim was randomly attacked and killed by a stranger, Rhys Bennett, as she walked home. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Jill Barclay, a 47-year-old mother-of-two and a proposals engineer for an energy firm, described by her family as a "deeply loved life partner, mother and daughter".

Date and Location: In the early hours of Saturday, September 17, 2022, Ms. Barclay was walking home from the Spider's Web pub in Dyce, Aberdeen, a route she knew well. She was just 300 yards from her home when the attack occurred in the grounds of a derelict property known as Farburn Gatehouse.

Crime Details: Rhys Bennett, who did not know Ms. Barclay, followed her from the pub. He launched a "feral" and "unimaginably wicked" attack, which involved repeatedly striking, kicking, and stamping on her head and body, and raping her. He then left the scene, returned with a can of petrol from his van, doused her and items of clothing in it, and set her on fire while she was still alive to conceal his crimes.

Perpetrator: Rhys Bennett, a 23-year-old labourer from Fife, who was in Aberdeen for work.

Arrest and Conviction: Police quickly identified Bennett through CCTV analysis and forensic evidence, including Ms. Barclay's blood found on his clothes and his DNA on her fingernails. He was traced to Fife and arrested later that same day. In May 2023, he pled guilty to the rape and murder of Jill Barclay and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum punishment period of 24 years before he can be considered for parole.

NO 4

The case of Arlene Fraser is a prominent "no body" murder investigation from Scotland. The mother-of-two vanished from her home in Elgin, Moray, on April 28, 1998, and her body has never been found. Her husband, Nat Fraser, was twice convicted of her murder in two separate trials. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Arlene Fraser, a 33-year-old proposals engineer.

Disappearance: Arlene was last seen on April 28, 1998, before a scheduled solicitor's appointment about her divorce from Nat Fraser.

Perpetrator: Her estranged husband, Nat Fraser, a fruit and vegetable wholesaler.

Motive: Their marriage was marked by abuse and jealousy, and Nat had threatened Arlene. Financial disputes over the divorce were also a factor.

Key Evidence: The prosecution's case was circumstantial.

A friend of Nat Fraser, Hector Dick, testified that Fraser confessed to hiring a hitman to kill his wife and dispose of her body by burning the remains.

Arlene's rings mysteriously reappeared in her bathroom eight days after she vanished, suggesting Nat had access to her body. However, undisclosed police statements about the rings led to the first conviction being quashed.

The judge noted that the murder and disposal of the body were carried out with "ruthless efficiency". 

Trials and Conviction

Fraser was found guilty of murder twice: 

First Trial (2003): Convicted and sentenced, but the conviction was quashed by the UK Supreme Court in 2011 due to non-disclosure of police evidence.

Second Trial (2012): Found guilty again and received a life sentence with a minimum of 17 years.

No 4

The murder of Maxwell Garvie in 1968 remains one of the most infamous and sensational murder cases in Scottish criminal history, marked by a shocking tale of a love triangle, sex, and scandal that gripped the public imagination. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Maxwell "Max" Garvie, a wealthy 35-year-old farmer and businessman from West Cairnbeg farm, near Laurencekirk.

Crime: Max was shot in the head as he slept in his bed in the early hours of May 15, 1968. His body was reported missing and found three months later, in August, in a disused underground culvert near Lauriston Castle, St Cyrus.

Perpetrators: His wife, Sheila Garvie, and her lover, Brian Tevendale, a younger man who worked for Max. A third man, Alan Peters, an accomplice who helped dispose of the body, was tried but found "not proven" (acquitted) by the jury. 

The Scandal and Trial

The 10-day trial at the High Court in Aberdeen became a media sensation, with crowds queuing outside the courthouse to hear the lurid details. 

"Kinky Cottage" Revelations: The trial exposed Max Garvie's hedonistic lifestyle, including claims he hosted drug-fuelled "swingers' parties" at a remote property he owned near Alford, which the press dubbed "Kinky Cottage".

Motive: It was revealed that Max had initially encouraged a non-monogamous relationship between Sheila and Brian after he discovered his own affair with Brian's sister, Trudy Birse. When Sheila and Brian genuinely fell in love, Max became abusive, and the pair plotted his murder as the only way out of a desperate situation.

The Murder: Sheila let Brian Tevendale and Alan Peters into the farmhouse. After Max was asleep, she handed Brian a .22 rifle belonging to Max. Tevendale first struck Max with the rifle butt, then shot him in the head, muffling the sound with a pillow.

Disposal of the Body: Tevendale, who knew the area well from childhood, and Peters wrapped the body in a blanket and drove it in Peters' car to a disused quarry, dumping it in a remote inspection tunnel at Lauriston Castle. 

Outcome

Both Sheila Garvie and Brian Tevendale were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. They both served 10 years and were released in 1978, never speaking to each other again after the trial. The case is often cited as an example of domestic abuse that was largely ignored at the time, leading to a desperate outcome. 

The case has been the subject of numerous true crime documentaries and podcasts, including a BBC podcast series, The Storyteller: Violent Delights, which re-examined evidence and police photographs.

no5

The murder of 8-year-old Helen Priestly in 1934 by her neighbour, Jeannie Donald, was a shocking case from Aberdeen, often referred to as the "Aberdeen Sack Murder". The case was notable for being one of the first in which modern forensic science played a crucial role in securing a conviction. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Helen Priestly, a quiet 8-year-old girl.

Date and Location: On April 20, 1934, during her school lunch break, Helen was sent by her mother to a local Co-op bakery on Urquhart Road, Aberdeen, to buy a loaf of bread. She never returned home.

Discovery: Her body was discovered at 5 am the next day by a neighbour, concealed in a blue hessian sack in a communal lavatory under the stairs of the tenement where she lived.

Crime Details: Helen had been strangled (asphyxiated). The perpetrator had also inflicted injuries to make it appear as though she had been sexually assaulted, a detail that was disproven by the autopsy.

Motive: The Priestly and Donald families, who lived in flats in the same building, were not on good terms. There had been previous bad feeling and childish name-calling; Helen had reportedly called Jeannie Donald "Coconut" in the past, leading to a physical altercation where Donald struck the child. 

The Investigation and Conviction

The police investigation was extensive, involving a large search party. Forensic evidence was pivotal in identifying the killer: 

Forensic Science: Scientists found human hairs in the sack containing Helen's body that were proven to belong to Jeannie Donald. Fibres found on the sack also matched items in the Donalds' home.

Bread Evidence: A loaf of bread, identified as the one Helen was sent to buy, was found in the Donald household. Jeannie's own daughter testified it did not belong to their family. 

Jeannie Donald was arrested and charged with the murder. Her husband, Alexander, was initially a suspect but was later released due to lack of evidence. 

Trial and Aftermath

Trial: The trial took place in Edinburgh in July 1934. The jury took just 18 minutes to return a guilty verdict, largely based on the compelling forensic evidence.

Sentence and Reprieve: Donald was sentenced to death by hanging. However, this was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Secretary of State for Scotland, partly because it was rare for a woman to be executed.

Release and Death: She was described as a "model prisoner" and was released after only 10 years to care for her terminally ill husband. She lived the rest of her life under an assumed name and died in obscurity in 1976, without ever admitting guilt or explaining her actions. 

The case is a dark chapter in Aberdeen's history, and a memorial plaque and tree were later placed at Helen's grave in Allenvale Cemetery to honour her memory.

no6

The murder of Michael Holding was a high-profile case from 2007 in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, in which he was killed by his son, Benjamin "Ben" Holding, for financial gain. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Michael Holding, a 70-year-old retired oil industry executive, a widower who lived in a luxury home at Inchmarlo, near Banchory.

Perpetrator: His son, Benjamin Holding, a 29-year-old business development executive for Scottish Television (STV).

Date and Location: Michael Holding was murdered on October 13, 2007, at his home in Banchory.

Crime Details: After an argument about money, Ben Holding knocked his father to the ground and beat his head against the floor until he died. He then wrapped the body in a sheet, put it in a wheelie bin, and hid it in a garden shed where it remained for nearly two months.

Cover-Up: To cover his tracks, Ben Holding sent bogus emails purporting to be from his father, telling family members that he had gone on an extended holiday to visit his other son in England. He even hosted a fireworks party at the house while his father's body was in the shed.

Motive: Ben Holding was in severe financial difficulty and had run up significant debts. He was attempting to buy a house with his wife and had lied about the purchase going through. Within 90 minutes of the murder, he began using his father's bank cards, stealing over £30,000, which he later referred to as his "rightful inheritance". 

The Investigation and Conviction

The elaborate cover-up began to unravel when Ben's wife, Sarah, discovered that Michael Holding's bank cards were being used locally in Banchory, despite her husband claiming his father was in England. She confronted him, he confessed to her, and she alerted the police. 

Confession: When police arrived, Ben Holding told them: "Two months ago I had an argument with my father. I killed him and he's in the shed".

Conviction: In July 2008, Benjamin Holding admitted to murder, fraud, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 15 years before parole. The judge branded his actions as "grave and callous".

no7

The murder of Margaret "Meg" Robertson, a 54-year-old grandmother, occurred in September 2019 at her flat in Promenade Court, Aberdeen. The crime was a brutal, drug-fueled knife attack carried out by Norman Duncan, a violent offender with a long history of criminal convictions. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Margaret Robertson, known as "Meg", a much-loved mother, daughter, and grandmother.

Date and Location: The murder took place on September 25, 2019, in her home at Promenade Court in the Seaton area of Aberdeen.

Perpetrator: Norman Duncan, a labourer and heavy drug user from Aberdeen, who was 40 at the time of the offence. He had 74 previous convictions.

Crime Details: Duncan subjected Ms. Robertson to a "horrendous and sustained attack" involving at least 25 stab wounds to her head, neck, and body. The attack also involved a sexual assault. Her near-naked body was later discovered in her bloodstained bedroom by a friend who found her front door unlocked.

Motive: Duncan had visited the block of flats multiple times that day in search of drugs. The murder occurred during an altercation in her flat. 

Investigation and Conviction

The police investigation, which involved extensive forensic and CCTV work, quickly led to Norman Duncan. 

Forensic Evidence: Crucial evidence included DNA matching Duncan found under Ms. Robertson's fingernails, indicating she fought back and sustained defensive injuries. Other forensic evidence also pointed to Duncan as the killer.

Arrest and Trial: Duncan was arrested shortly after the discovery of the body. He initially stood trial in 2021, but proceedings were halted due to mental health issues he was experiencing at the time. He was found guilty of murder in a subsequent trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in March 2022.

Sentencing: Duncan was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum "punishment period" of 20 years before he could be considered for parole. The judge described the crime as a "sustained and merciless attack inflicted upon a defenceless woman in her home". 

Ms. Robertson's family expressed their devastation and their "unanswered questions as to why it happened at all" after the trial. Norman Duncan later launched an appeal against his conviction.

no8

The murder of Alan Geddes in December 2019 was a high-profile case in Aberdeen that sparked outrage and legal action due to the fact that his killer was a man who had been released from prison without accommodation or support just hours earlier. Mr. Geddes was widely remembered as a "Good Samaritan" for offering the killer a place to stay. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Alan Geddes, a 56-year-old father-of-one and former offshore worker and model.

Perpetrator: Stuart Quinn, who was 33 at the time of the murder. He had a history of violence and drug-induced psychosis.

Date and Location: The murder occurred on December 7, 2019, in Mr. Geddes' flat on Ruthrieston Crescent, Aberdeen.

Crime Details: Mr. Geddes met Quinn on a night out at a lap-dancing club and, feeling sorry for him because he was homeless, offered him a place to stay after a local hotel was full. Later that night, Quinn subjected Mr. Geddes to a "brutal" and "very violent death", stabbing him 40 times. Quinn was found at the scene by police, holding a knife, and admitted what he had done. 

Investigation and Aftermath

Quinn pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years in February 2021. 

The case led to significant scrutiny of the support systems for prisoners upon release: 

System Failures: Quinn had been released from HMP Grampian the day of the killing, after a court appearance, without a support package or accommodation plan in place. A Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report concluded that the death may have been prevented had Quinn been offered accommodation when he left prison. He had gone to a homeless unit but found it shut before meeting Mr. Geddes.

Family Campaign: Alan Geddes' sister, Sandra Geddes, has actively campaigned for a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) to understand the systemic failures that led to her brother's death and to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again.

Legal Action: The family has since launched legal action against the Scottish Government, the Scottish Prison Service, NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council, and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to seek answers and accountability, as their calls for an FAI were denied.

no9

NO IMAGE AVAILABLE

The murder of Laura Milne was a brutal and "harrowing" crime that occurred in Aberdeen in December 2007. The 19-year-old vulnerable charity worker was killed by three people whom she considered friends. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Laura Milne, 19, was a vulnerable young woman with mild learning difficulties who volunteered at the Aberdeen Cyrenians homeless charity. Her family described her as "too trusting and could not see the bad in people".

Date and Location: Her body was found on December 19, 2007, in a flat on Union Street, Aberdeen, where one of the perpetrators lived.

Perpetrators:

Stuart Jack (22 at the time), the main killer.

Debbie Buchan (18 at the time), who lived in the flat.

Leigh Mackinnon (18 at the time).

Crime Details: Laura was subjected to a "ferocious" and sustained attack involving punching, kicking, and stamping. Stuart Jack then used a knife to slash her throat and repeatedly strike her body. The three then attempted to dismember her body (trying to cut off her head, legs, and breast) before wrapping it in a bin bag, curtain, and bedding and hiding it in a kitchen cupboard. The body lay there for a week while the killers came and went from the flat.

Cover-Up: The trio used Laura's mobile phone to send text messages to her family, pretending she was alive and staying with a friend. They also attempted to use her bank card to withdraw money.

Lack of Remorse: Chilling video clips recorded on Laura's own phone's SIM card in the days following the murder showed Jack boasting about the killing and Buchan asking him if he enjoyed cutting her throat, to which he replied "Aye". 

Investigation and Conviction

Police forced their way into the flat after receiving information from the public, discovering the "harrowing" scene. Forensic evidence and CCTV footage were used to quickly identify and arrest the three individuals. 

Guilty Pleas: In July 2008, all three pled guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Sentences:

Stuart Jack admitted murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years.

Debbie Buchan and Leigh Mackinnon admitted attempted murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. They both received nine-year sentences. 

The case was described by the investigating officer as a tragedy involving a vulnerable young woman who sought friendship from those who ultimately convicted her.

No10

The murder of nine-year-old Scott Simpson by convicted paedophile Steven Leisk in 1997 was a notorious case in Aberdeen that exposed significant failures in the social work and police systems at the time. 

Details of the Case

Victim: Scott Simpson, a 9-year-old schoolboy from the Powis area of Aberdeen, described by his family as sweet and kind.

Perpetrator: Steven Leisk, a former army medical orderly with a string of previous convictions for sexual offences against children.

Date and Location: Scott was abducted on the evening of Thursday, July 17, 1997, from a park near his home. His body was found five days later, hidden in bushes in a secluded lane near Aberdeen University, an area that had already been searched by police.

Crime Details: Leisk lured Scott away with a note promising computer games for £5. He attempted to sexually assault Scott and then strangled him to death when the boy resisted, later claiming he "panicked" and was trying to muffle his screams.

Aftermath: Leisk went to work the next day and was only caught after a suspicious relative, who knew of his past, contacted the police. 

System Failures and Legacy

The case led to public outrage and revelations of systemic failures: 

Supervision Failures: Leisk was living in a flat overlooking the park where Scott was last seen and was under the supervision of social work, but social workers had failed to check the location of his flat or properly monitor him. This information was not shared with the police.

Police Investigation: Grampian Police faced heavy criticism for their initial investigation, including failing to find the body during an earlier search of the lane. The police chief constable at the time was later forced to resign following a scandal related to the case.

Sentence Reduction: Leisk was initially sentenced to a minimum of 25 years, but this was cut to 20 years in 2002 due to human rights laws, causing "fury" and "horror" for Scott's family.

Impact on Law: The case and the subsequent "Cosgrove Report" sparked a campaign to change laws on housing dangerous sex offenders, emphasizing that they should not be housed in areas where children are at risk. 

Scott's family has continuously campaigned against Leisk's potential parole, fighting to keep the killer behind bars.

WHAT DO YOU GET THE ABERDONIAN MAN IN YOUR LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS?

A word from our sponsor

Billionaire industrialist Sir Ian Wood stands as the wealthiest homegrown founder of a company in Scotland. When he stepped down from the helm in 2013, his creation—Wood Group plc—had grown into a global powerhouse valued at $12 billion, operating in more than 60 countries, employing 60,000 people, and elevating his personal fortune to over £2 billion.

A figure both formidable and fiercely debated, Sir Ian Wood’s life unfolds as an extraordinary saga—one marked by relentless effort, unwavering determination, profound personal sacrifice, moments of tragedy, brushes with disaster, and the darker currents of betrayal, greed, immense wealth, and influence.

Beginning with his family’s modest fishing-boat repair business in 1967, he boldly steered the company into the emerging world of oil and gas just as the industry reached Britain’s shores in the 1970s. From there, he built a sprawling empire that touched shipping, energy, fishing, technology, travel, electronics, power generation, offshore drilling, and property development. His leadership oversaw the most dramatic industrial transformation Aberdeen had ever seen.

Now, for the first time, the story long hidden behind closed doors is revealed. This is an explosive, deeply revealing journey into the sometimes shadowy, often ruthless, yet undeniably electrifying world of the Aberdeen oil and gas sector—its power brokers, its high-stakes decisions, and the man whose influence shaped an era.

Sir Ian’s real-life ascent makes HBO’s Succession seem like little more than a gentle bedtime tale.

His achievements stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the greatest entrepreneurs in any industry, at any point in history.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO HOME PAGE