Wife killer jailed for 'cruel and sadistic' hammer attack

Peter Maher was told he must serve a minimum of 24 years in prison

A man has been jailed for life for murdering his wife of 30 years in a "cruel and sadistic" hammer attack.

Peter Maher, 61, delivered at least 11 blows to Jeanna Maher in their home in Drumchapel, Glasgow, in September 2018.

A jury heard how two of their sons discovered the 51-year-old's body in her bedroom.

Maher, who was convicted following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, was told he must serve a minimum of 24 years.

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The Judge Lord Mulholland said: "You subjected your wife to a sustained brutal attack - you assaulted her and when she tried to defend herself you bound her wrists, arms and ankles with ligatures.

"You subjected this poor woman to repeated hammer blows to the head at 11 times but probably more.

"The injuries you inflicted were not survivable - what you did was cruel and sadistic."

He added Maher did nothing to help his dying wife after inflicting an "appalling catalogue of injuries".

Lord Mulholland told him: "Your sentence is not the only life sentence as you have given your sons and your wife's family life sentences and grief - you will pay the heavy price for what you did."

Jeanna Maher was found dead in her house in Dewar Drive, Drumchapel

The trial was mainly held in his absence due to his disruptive behaviour in court.

Maher had denied the killing and said he did not know who the culprit was.

The court heard how he had a history of abusive behaviour towards the mother-of-three.

Her son Stephen, 35, recalled discovering his mother's body after returning home from work with his younger brother Richard.

Maher answered the door when they arrived, but Stephen told prosecutors that his father seemed the "same as any normal day."

Stephen said he went upstairs and saw his parents' room was an "absolute bombsite" with "everything everywhere".

He recalled shouting downstairs asking where his mother was.

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His brother Richard also went into the room and pulled back the bed covers before letting out a "gasp" or "scream" upon finding his mum lying there.

Prosecutor Steven Borthwick KC asked Stephen: "What condition was she in?"

He told jurors she was covered in blood with and had serious injuries to her skull.

"Her hands were tied up, her feet were tied up," he added.

He believed Mrs Maher's hands were bound with a neck tie and possibly a wire for her feet.

He immediately dialled 999 and was told to try CPR, but he told prosecutors it would not have had any effect.

'Brutal attack'

Maher later claimed to police he had been out that afternoon walking their dog.

He stated he "did not know who was responsible" and "did not know anyone that would harm his wife".

Pathologist Marjorie Turner concluded Mrs Maher died from blunt force trauma to the head.

In a post-mortem report, Dr Turner noted her head injury was "indicative of multiple blows with a heavy blunt object... at least 11 to the scalp alone, but probably many more."

Speaking after the verdict on Tuesday, Det Supt Scott McCallum, from Police Scotland's major investigation team, said: "This was a brutal attack on a woman who should have been safe in her own home and Peter Maher will now have to face the consequences for his actions."

Maher first appeared in court in 2018, but the following year he was assessed as unfit to stand trial.

Prosecutors later raised proceedings against him once again and Maher went on trial in April 2022.

The case was halted again after Maher sacked his then lawyers. The latest trial began in late January.