Man jailed for life over Hawick bride-to-be murder

Rory O'Connor was jailed at the High Court in Edinburgh

A convicted rapist who murdered his bride-to-be by repeatedly kicking, stamping and striking her head against a floor has been jailed for life.

Rory O'Connor, 54, attacked his partner Diane Nichol, 57, at her house in Trevelyan Terrace in Hawick.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, he pleaded guilty to her murder in August last year.

Lord Beckett told him his crime was "aggravated" by being carried out against his partner before jailing him.

He was told he must serve 15 years and six months before he is eligible to apply for parole.

The court heard how O'Connor, described as a prisoner in Edinburgh, had been heard shouting at Ms Nichol the day before the attack.

The following day, a neighbour heard banging and shouting coming from her flat.

Disturbance intensified

Prosecutor Craig Murray said the disturbance had intensified as the day progressed and the police had been called.

The court heard how when O'Connor let officers in Ms Nichol was lying on the ground and he had said: "Diane wake up, come on get up."

Police and paramedics tried to save her life but she died later in the day.

Mr Murray told the court that O'Connor had been jailed in 2002 in Dublin on charges of rape and sexual assault and moved to the Borders following his release in 2008.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Nichol had suffered a number of chest and abdominal injuries which were consistent with being stamped on or kicked.

Defence advocate Mark Stewart QC told the court that O'Connor and Ms Nichol were in a long term relationship with each other.

'Brutal violence'

They planned to marry in August last year but the ceremony was put on hold due to the pandemic and paperwork issues.

He said their relationship was characterised by being "heavily reliant on alcohol" and his client had been shocked by the consequences of his actions and wanted to apologise to his victim's family.

Passing sentence, Lord Beckett said: "For murder, the sentence is fixed by law - you will be sentenced to life imprisonment."

He said Ms Nichol had been entitled to expect his protection and support but instead he had subjected her to "sustained, brutal violence".

He said that without his guilty plea the punishment part of his sentence would have been 18 years.