East Kilbride man slashed girlfriend's throat and strangled her

Louise Aitchison was found dead at her home, police said

A South Lanarkshire man has admitted murdering his girlfriend by strangling her and slashing her throat.

Daryll Paterson violently attacked 33-year-old Louise Aitchison at their home in East Kilbride on 28 April.

The former dental nurse had called police earlier asking them to remove Paterson from their flat in the town's Park Terrace.

After agreeing to leave and collect his belongings later, Paterson, 36, went on to kill his girlfriend.

The High Court in Glasgow heard the couple had met while walking their dogs and began living together at her home from March.

'Gaping wound'

Speaking about the night of the murder, prosecutor Alex Prentice QC said: "At some point that evening he murdered Louise Aitchison by compressing her neck, restricting her breathing and striking her on the neck with a knife causing a gaping wound."

At 01:00 on 29 April, Paterson turned up at his friend Adam Ford's house and stayed the night.

Later that day he cried as he told Mr Ford: "I've done something really bad, I'm going to go away for a very long time. My life's over."

The following day Paterson confessed to his sister Khiya Paterson saying: "She's gone. I've done something really bad."

When asked where Louise was Paterson told his sister she was in the bedroom and the knife, which he had washed, was in the kitchen.

Louise Aitchison was murdered in her home in Park Terrace, East kilbride

Paterson told his sister: "We had an argument and she punched me on the throat. I told her not to do that, but she hit me again on the same place.

"She was kicking me and things got ugly and then she had a knife.

"I don't know what happened, but suddenly I was on top of her with my hands round her throat. And then it happened."

As he made the last remark his sister said he moved his hand across his throat.

When police entered the flat they found Louise lying dead in the bedroom, covered with a blanket. Three knives were found in the kitchen sink.

A post mortem examination found the cause of death was neck injuries. The wound to Louise's throat was almost eight inches long and there was also a fracture to one of the bones in her neck.

The court heard that Ms Aitchison, who was 4ft 11in tall and weighed just under nine stone, is survived by her mother, sister and brother.

Domestic disorder

She did voluntary work in India when she was 23 and then worked as a dental nurse for 15 years, before becoming a support worker. At the time of her death she was unemployed.

Judge Lady Stacey told Paterson, who attended court via a video link, that he was facing a life sentence.

She said: "You will understand you have pled guilty to the most serious of crimes. The punishment for murder is life imprisonment. "

Lady Stacey ordered a background report on Paterson and will sentence him in January.

Paterson has a conviction in 2008 for violence and two convictions in 2016 and 2017 for domestic disorder.