Brenda Page murder: Memorial to be created at University of Aberdeen
- Published
Brenda Page was murdered in 1978
A memorial to a scientist murdered by her ex-husband in 1978 is to be created at the university where she worked.
Dr Brenda Page, 32, was killed by Christopher Harrisson in Aberdeen, a year after the couple divorced.
But Harrisson, 82, was only convicted of the genetics expert's murder last year.
The University of Aberdeen intends to dedicate a plaque to Dr Page next to its laboratories and plant a tree in her memory.
The scientist - who was born in Ipswich - had been appointed as principal of the genetics department at the university's medical school in 1973.
Harrisson, a retired research scientist, was apprehended in the hours after the murder in 1978.
Police forced entry to Harrisson's home after the case was reinvestigated
But it was decided there was insufficient evidence to take him to court.
Then, 37 years after the killing, Police Scotland were instructed to reinvestigate in 2015.
Semen found on a duvet in Dr Page's flat in Allan Street matched her former husband's DNA profile and was said by forensic expert to be 590 million times more likely to be from him than another male.
Harrisson was arrested in 2020 and was last year found guilty of the murder, 45 years after the killing.
He was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 20 years before he can apply for parole.
A new BBC documentary - Murder Trial: The Killing of Dr Brenda Page - this week examines the case at the High Court in Aberdeen.
It captures the moment officers forced entry to his home, as he told them: "She wasn't murdered here".
The first episode of Murder Trial: The Killing of Dr Brenda Page will be broadcast on the BBC Scotland channel at 22:00 on Tuesday and on BBC Two on Thursday at 21:00. It will be available on BBC iPlayer from Tuesday.
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