Man killed his ex after telling doctors about fantasies of violence - stv.tv

A man killed his ex-girlfriend after telling doctors about his fantasies of violence towards her.

Student Carolyn Ellis, 32, suffered 45 knife wounds and was throttled with a belt as neighbours in Tollcross, Edinburgh tried to save her.

Another woman was stabbed in the arm before police arrived and sprayed Douglas Lawrence, 29, with CS Gas.

On Thursday, Lawrence's plea to a reduced charge of culpable homicide was accepted by the Crown, who had initially charged him with murder.

Judge Lord Uist ordered Lawrence back to The State Hospital, Carstairs, where he has been held since his arrest.

He said: "You engaged in an awful frenzy of violence armed with a belt and a knife in the course of which you killed your former girlfriend and seriously injured another woman."

Lawrence also admitted assaulting Pauline Smith by striking her with a knife, struggling with Christeen MacKenzie and kicking her and kicking and punching Peter Scolley during the struggle on January 17.

He further admitted attacking nursing assistant John Stewart on February 2 while he was being held in the State Hospital.

Advocate depute Michael Stuart, prosecuting, told the court on Thursday Lawrence had been diagnosed as suffering from a form of Asperger's Syndrome which frequently led to suffers becoming fixated on a particular subject.

He said: "In the accused's case he developed, from as early as his mid teens such dominant thinking in relation to violence."

In spite of his problems he obtained an honours degree in philosophy from Edinburgh University, the court heard, and seemed to be managing his difficulties by living a "mundane" life.

Ms Ellis suffered from borderline personality disorder as a result of childhood experiences and met Lawrence because both were psychiatric out-patients.

Mr Stuart said: "In around November 2010 the accused and Ms Ellis formed an intimate relationship. This was the accused's first, and only, intimate relationship."

Their mental health difficulties led to a split a year later.

Last November 11, said Mr Stuart, Lawrence told doctors of his thoughts of violence towards his ex-girlfriend. He was told to return to the hospital clinic three days later. By then his condition had improved but on November 17 Lawrence told a consultant psychiatrist about his violent thoughts and another review was fixed for February 12 this year.

Mr Stuart told how, on January 17, Lawrence took a bus to the flat in West Tollcross, Edinburgh, where Ms Ellis lived. They talked for a while in her sitting room before she asked him to leave, and be became angry and started to attack her.

Ground floor neighbours Ms Smith and Ms MacKenzie heard Ms Ellis shouting for help. They opened their front door to see Lawrence with his arm round his ex-girlfriend's throat and punching her head until she fell to the ground. Mr Stuart said Lawrence knelt over Ms Ellis as she lay, face down.

Mr Stuart said: "At this point Pauline Smith and Christeen MacKenzie realised that the accused had wrapped a belt round the deceased's neck and was twisting the belt to tighten it."

Ms Ellis was yelling that she could not breathe as Lawrence put his foot on her back and continued to pull the belt against her throat. Ms MacKenzie was kicked to the floor as she tried to pull him away.

As Ms Smith struggled to loosen the belt, Ms MacKenzie opened the front door of the block of flats to shout for help. Her cries brought Peter Scolley into the common stair and he helped wrestle the belt from Lawrence and throw it away.

After punching Mr Scolley, Lawrence began kicking Ms Ellis and stamping on her head. Lawrence disappeared into Ms Ellis' flat and came by with a knife which he began swinging at Ms Smith's head before gashing her right arm, leaving her scarred for life.

Mr Stuart described Lawrence kneeling and straddling Ms Ellis and holding the knife in both hands as he stabbed at her head.

He said: "The accused used such force that the tip of the knife broke off, later being recovered from the deceased's scalp at post mortem."

The attack severed major blood vessels and Ms Ellis bled to death, the court heard.

Police arrived at the flat to see, through the Perspex door, Lawrence continuing to stab Ms Ellis. They shouted to him to stop and, by the time the officers had got through the buzzer entry system, Lawrence had retreated to Ms Ellis' flat.

When he refused to put down the knife police sprayed him with CS Gas then handcuffed him.

Lord Uist made an interim compulsion order, returning Lawrence to Carstairs for further assessment. He is due back in court in January.

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