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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Man convicted of Inverness murder | Man convicted of Inverness murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A man has been jailed for life for the murder of a hairdresser who was found buried in his garden in Inverness after being battered to death. | |
| Judge Lord Clarke told Brian Grant, 50, he should spend at least 14 years in prison for murdering Ilene O'Connor. | Judge Lord Clarke told Brian Grant, 50, he should spend at least 14 years in prison for murdering Ilene O'Connor. |
| The High Court in Edinburgh heard the 39-year-old had suffered brain damage and 26 rib fractures in the attack. | The High Court in Edinburgh heard the 39-year-old had suffered brain damage and 26 rib fractures in the attack. |
| The jury took 90 minutes to unanimously find Grant guilty of Ms O'Connor's murder last July. | |
| Grant had denied killing Ms O'Connor and burying her. | Grant had denied killing Ms O'Connor and burying her. |
| Medics said they thought she might have lain in a coma for up to two hours before Grant finally ended her life by strangling her. | Medics said they thought she might have lain in a coma for up to two hours before Grant finally ended her life by strangling her. |
| 'Wicked attack' | |
| He buried his victim and removed her rings from her fingers to try and avoid detection, as well as cleaning up his home at Kintail Court. | |
| Lord Clarke told him: "The murder you have been convicted of involved a particularly savage, brutal and repeated attack on a defenceless and vulnerable woman. | Lord Clarke told him: "The murder you have been convicted of involved a particularly savage, brutal and repeated attack on a defenceless and vulnerable woman. |
| "It was truly a wicked attack and you have shown little or no remorse throughout and, indeed, attempted to implicate an innocent man in your crime." | "It was truly a wicked attack and you have shown little or no remorse throughout and, indeed, attempted to implicate an innocent man in your crime." |
| Ilene O'Connor's body was found buried in Inverness | |
| Lord Clarke said after the two-week trial that Grant should spend at least 14 years in prison before he could apply for parole, calling him "a significant danger to the public." | |
| Northern Constabulary welcomed the life sentence. | |
| The officer who led the inquiry, Det Insp Ian Smith, said: "Had it not been for the thorough nature of the work carried out by officers then Ilene's body may never have been found. | |
| "The injuries she sustained, which resulted in her death, were severe in the extreme, as were the lengths Grant went to to conceal her body and cover his tracks. | |
| "Our thoughts are obviously with Ilene's family and friends at this difficult time, but I hope they can take some comfort from the fact that the man responsible for her death will now spend much of his life behind bars." |