Postman jailed after decapitating girlfriend because she ‘worked too much'
Ewan Methven, 27, admitted murdering Phoenix Spencer-Horn at their home on Nov 16 last year, after the couple ordered a takeaway to their flat in Glen Lee, East Kilbride.
Prosecutors told the High Court in Glasgow that Methven choked her before severing her head and trying to remove her limbs and torso from her body.
Earlier that day, Methven had complained to his girlfriend that her waitress shifts made him 'lonely'.
After murdering and decapitating his 21-year-old girlfriend, he texted her mother pretending to be her and he trawled the internet for pornography for hours.
Methven later dialled 999, insisting he had a drug-induced blackout and could not remember what he had done.
But Judge Lord Matthews at the High Court in Glasgow ordered Methven to spend at least 23 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole.
He told Methven: 'You pleaded guilty to a dreadful crime, namely the murder of Phoenix Spencer-Horn, who was a much-loved and sorely missed daughter, sister, niece, cousin and friend.
'At age 21 and 134 days, she was standing at the threshold of what should have been a long, fulfilling life. You were a trusted member of her family, and you betrayed that trust and robbed her of a life in the cruellest way.
'Not content with what you did to her, you robbed her of all dignity in death by decapitating her and tried to dismember her in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.
'The way you treated her after her death meant that her family didn't have the comfort of saying goodbye to her. No punishment I can inflict or what I can say or do can be enough and the only sentence that I can impose is life.
'I saw a letter written by you which answers none of the questions. You blame substances, but that is not an excuse.'
The couple met at a family party and had been dating for two years before the killing. They had recently moved into the top floor, one-bedroom flat.
'Good spirits'
Methven was employed by the Royal Mail while Ms Spencer-Horn, who was known as Phe, held part-time jobs at the Strathaven Hotel and a local coffee shop.
She had been working on Nov 16 and was described as in 'good spirits'.
Methven had texted her during her shift complaining of feeling 'lonely' due to her working hours. Ms Spencer-Horn apologised to her boyfriend.
The postman had also been working that morning and told a colleague he was going home to 'chill'.
Methven ordered a takeaway that night and the couple ate when Ms Spencer-Horn returned.
She contacted her mother at 9.37pm, stating she was at home having dinner. The court heard this was the last communication they had.
At about midnight, a downstairs neighbour heard a 'loud noise and hurried footsteps'. This coincided with increased activity recorded on a phone app measuring Methven's steps.
He had attacked Ms Spencer-Horn with three knives, stabbing her 20 times. The fatal stab wound was to the chest. There were others in that area, as well as to the face and buttocks.
The court heard that he had attempted to 'sever her torso, right wrist and ankle from her body'.
Methven tried to cover up the killing for two days and spent the weekend driving Ms Spencer-Horn's red Vauxhall Corsa.
Prosecutors said he scrolled through her phone and searched 170 times for internet pornography and made several attempts to buy cocaine.
He also repeatedly pretended in texts to his victim's mother, Alison Spencer, that her daughter was 'alive and well'.
Ms Spencer had tried to contact her daughter on the morning of Nov 17, and Methven replied, saying 'Phe is not up yet' and that he would get her to message when she was.
He later pretended to be his girlfriend and sent a text to her mother, saying: 'Hey, sorry I've just woken up xxx.' Another claimed Ms Spencer-Horn was apparently 'all good'.
The court heard that minutes after this, Methven logged on to adult websites and accessed pornography over a period of more than 10 hours.
'Psychotic break'
Concerns were raised when Ms Spencer-Horn did not turn up for work on Nov 18.
Methen dialled 999 that afternoon, stating he had had 'a drug-induced psychotic break' and that he had 'killed' his girlfriend. He said he had 'blacked out through the full thing'.
He told the operator: 'The past day I have been trying to kind of muster up the courage to phone.'
Methven said his girlfriend's body was in the hall with a knife beside her. He said he had been taking steroids and cocaine, which he believed had been spiked.
Police found her 'mutilated body' with two blood-stained knives next to her. A third blood-stained knife was found discarded in the bedroom.
Methven was described as 'calm', telling the officers: 'I could not stay here with her like that. I tried to dismember her. I moved her from the bath and put her there.'
He also pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice including the mutilation of Ms Spencer-Horn's body and lying to her mother.
Tony Graham KC, defending, told the court Methven was 'unable to offer an explanation to why the course of events led to her death other than his admission of drugs'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Explosive new video shows what happened in moments before Kentucky sheriff shot judge best friend
Extended surveillance footage shows the chilling minutes before a Kentucky sheriff shot his good friend and local judge in his own chambers. Former Sheriff Shawn 'Mickey' Stines is accused of shooting and killing Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins in September 2024. The alleged murder came after the two men had a long interaction in Mullins' chamber inside the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg. Recently released footage of the interaction shows a group of people - two women and two men - gathering around Mullins's desk on September 19, 2024. At 2:39pm, Stines is seen entering the room with another man and appears to ask everyone except Mullins to leave. The two men, who had just been out for lunch together, are then shown sitting down opposite each other. At two points, Stines stands up to open the chamber door and peer outside into the hallway. After chatting for a few minutes, Stines pulls out his cell phone and appears to call someone. Minutes later, he does the same thing again. It is unclear who he was calling. The former sheriff then appears to ask Mullins to hand over his phone. After the judge complies, Stines holds both of the phones and tries to make another call, this time on the judge's phone. The footage then shows Stines stand up and lift his shirt to reveal a gun holstered on his hip, causing the judge to take notice and raise his hands in the air. At 2:51pm, Stines is seen pointing the gun at Mullins and eventually firing at him as the judge tries to cover. Stine then leaves the room before returning briefly. He turned himself into the police at around 3pm. Kentucky State Police arrested the sheriff minutes later and their attempts to interview him in the courthouse hallway were filmed on bodycam. However, their attempts were unsuccessful as they spent the entire time trying to assure a very paranoid Stines that they weren't going to kill him. The latest footage from inside the chamber helps paint a clearer picture of what led up to last year's shocking shooting, which rocked the small town. Stines and Mullins both played important roles in the community and were close friends who frequently ate lunch together. The men's closeness is evident in the footage. While Stines appears confrontational, Mullins seems to be comfortable in the former sheriff's presence, up until the weapon is revealed. The surveillance was released without audio, but body language expert Susan Constantine told Fox News that it was clear the sheriff 'was ready to go the minute he walked in.' By contrast, Mullins 'is very nonchalant, very carefree', she said, as he sat smoking a cigarette and did not appear to understand the imminent danger he was in. 'The sheriff then leans in, he's obviously got something on his mind because he's in an action stance,' Constantine said. 'I think the fact that [Mullins] is shrugging it off, I think that created more angst towards the judge because he wasn't taking it seriously, whatever was being spoken about, and he's kind of playing it off like it wasn't a big deal... And the more he played it out, 'this is not a big deal,' the more angry Stines became.' The former sheriff had previously indicated he was preparing an insanity defense in court, and his attorneys said the shooting was the result of 'fear for the safety of his wife and daughter.' Police have not offered details of a motive behind the shooting, though Stines' attorneys said it came after testimony he gave at a deposition where he answered questions about one of his deputies allegedly sexually assaulting jail inmates in Mullins' chambers.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Lord Ara Darzi has his £200,000 Richard Mille watch snatched from his arm by robbers who then flee on a speed boat on Italian island of Capri
Lord Ara Darzi had his £200,000 Richard Mille watch snatched from his arm by robbers in Italy. The House of Lords member was seen in footage strolling through a narrow street between the Piazzetta and Via Camerelle in Capri at around 10:30pm on July 13. According to local authorities, two robbers stalked the 65-year-old down the path before quickly snatching the designer watch from his arm. Witnesses revealed that following the robbery, the two criminals fled on foot to the Gardens of Augustus, before taking the famous pathway Via Krupp to board a small speed boat they had left moored in Marina Piccola. The local police forces are now working to reconstruct the shocking incident by reviewing footage from several security cameras in the area. Video shared in local media shows the leading British politician walking amid a group of people outside what appears to be a shop. A man in a white t-shirt can be seen lingering nearby before making his to position himself behind Darzi. Suddenly, the unknown man makes a grabbing motion to the figure behind him before he sprints off. Another man who was standing nearby in a red top also runs in the same direction as the robber before a person who appears to be a baffled Darzi is seen following in disbelief. Speaking to the MailOnline, Darzi said: 'I'm currently on holiday with my family in Capri after what has been a very busy year in the NHS. 'Last night, I was robbed by two men who snatched a watch I was wearing. We were all shaken up, but thankfully no one was hurt. 'The watch was a gift from the father of a patient whose life I saved six years ago. 'Sadly, like too many Brits abroad, I've now experienced street crime firsthand. My advice to fellow holidaymakers is simple: be careful and leave your valuables at home'. Baron Darzi of Denham had been vacationing in the Gulf of Naples on his yacht for a few days prior to the robbery. Darzi, in addition to being a British politician, is a professor at Imperial College London and co-director of the British Institute of Public Health. His watch, a Richard Mille, is incredibly rare with only a select few individuals able to purchase one. The luxury brand only produces around 5,000 watches a year and they only sell to people with elite connections and influence, including Elon Musk and Jay-Z. Lord Ara Darzi, 65, a former health minister and surgeon, had been vacationing in the Gulf of Naples on his yacht for a few days prior to the robbery It comes after a British expat had his £43,000 Rolex watch stolen off his wrist as he sat in his £250,000 Lamborghini last month. Simone Mariella said her partner, Scott, was taking part in a supercar rally in Barcelona, Spain, when two crooks on an electric scooter targeted him on June 23. Scott had his expensive timepiece pinched before the thief and his accomplice zoomed off on the e-scooter. He was unable to chase after them as he was stuck behind a similar supercar. And a pedestrian thought to have been murdered for his Rolex in Knightsbridge earlier this month was a father-of-two and grandson of a champion boxer who had been just been for a romantic dinner with his partner, MailOnline revealed on Thursday. Blue Stevens, 26, died in broad daylight outside the £1,650-a-night 5-star Park Tower Hotel and Casino, which is directly across the road from the Harvey Nichols department store in central London. Blue's friends claimed that he had just been for a 'posh meal' when a masked mugger attempted to snatch his gold watch while riding a bike or e-scooter. He is from a family of famous boxers and was fatally stabbed in the chest when he fought back. His grandfather was celebrated heavyweight Les Stevens, who won bronze at the 1970 Commonwealth Games. Friends said Blue, from Hampshire, loved buying the 'sparkliest' watches he could find and was pictured recently on social media wearing a Datejust 36mm oystersteel and gold Rolex, which is worth £12,250. The Metropolitan Police are probing whether the incident was a targeted attack and said the theft of his watch remains a line of inquiry.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Dying wish of UC Berkley professor executed in broad daylight revealed as his distraught family speak out
The California professor who was horrifically executed in broad daylight always dreamed of bringing his two children to his hometown in Poland, his family revealed. Przemyslaw Jeziorski, 43, was shot five times in the chest and neck at close range by a masked gunman outside of his ex-wife's home in the suburb of Athens on July 4.
