Latest news with #LucretiaDonaghy


BBC News
02-07-2025
- BBC News
Crime documentary Murder Case commissioned by BBC Scotland for a new series
Award-winning documentary series Murder Case will return in Autumn 2025 with a new three-part series on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer, focussing on two cases – Tony Parsons the charity cyclist who went missing in 2017 and the violent murder of Lucretia 'Kiesha' Donaghy from Elgin in 2023. Murder Case is a BBC Scotland commission, made by Firecrest Films. The two new cases which will feature in the 2025 TV and BBC iPlayer series will be: Tony Parsons – The Vanishing Cyclist (2x60). In September 2017, whilst on a 104-mile charity cycle, 63-year-old grandfather Tony Parsons from Tillicoultry was killed by a drunk driver on the A82 near Bridge of Orchy and secretly buried in a shallow grave. Alexander 'Sandy' McKellar and his twin brother Robert hid Tony's body on a remote estate in the southern Highlands. Tony's body went undiscovered for three years until Sandy confided in his new girlfriend about the killing and took her to the burial site. She was able to pinpoint the remote location to the police by dropping a soft drink can into the ground. Lucretia 'Kiesha' Donaghy (1x60). Mother-of-two Lucretia 'Kiesha' Donaghy, 32, was found dead at her home in Elgin in November 2023. Keisha was bludgeoned with a weapon in the fatal attack and her friend Owen Grant, 43, was later arrested. After murdering the defenceless and unarmed Kiesha, Owen went on a spending spree, spending hundreds of pounds on cocaine. At the murder trial at Edinburgh's High Court in 2025, the Judge Lord Scott described the attack as 'exceptionally savage, frenzied and brutal'. The forthcoming new series of Murder Case (3x60) features interviews with the families of the victims, the media who covered the cases as well as the police who brought the perpetrators to justice. Further Murder Case series are planned for 2026 and will be announced in 2026. David Harron, Commissioning Executive, Factual at BBC Scotland says: 'Murder Case is one of our most important brands at BBC Scotland and is hugely popular with the audience. Through its exceptional access to the Major Investigations Team of Police Scotland it has provided the audience with a real insight into the work of detectives on these cases.' Vari Innes, Executive Producer at Firecrest Films says: 'Filmed over the course of two years from investigation to trial, with the support of Tony and Kiesha's families, these new cases offer unparalleled access to Police Scotland's Major Investigations Team, following their quest for answers and justice for the victims and their families. We are proud and privileged to be entrusted with sensitively bringing these harrowing cases to light.' BBC Scotland's crime documentaries continue to draw significant audiences in Scotland and across the UK. Both the Murder Trial and Murder Case series feature in the Top 10 'most requested' documentary titles of 2025 on BBC iPlayer with combined audience of nearly 3m streaming requests. The Hunt for Peter Tobin is currently in the Top 20 'most requested' of 2025 with over 1.1m streaming requests on BBC iPlayer. This year, the Top 3 'most viewed' BBC crime documentaries have been Murder Trial: Girl in the River, Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse and Murder Case: The Hunt for Mary McLaughlin's Killer. All three documentaries are currently available on BBC iPlayer. The Murder Case series are commissioned and executive produced by David Harron for BBC Scotland and Vari Innes is the Executive Producer for Firecrest Films. Watch Murder Case on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist Watch The Hunt for Peter Tobin on BBC iPlayer Watch Murder Trial on BBC iPlayer JM2 Follow for more


Sky News
29-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Man jailed for at least 24 years over murder of Elgin woman
A man who went on a spending spree after beating a mother-of-two to death in Moray has been jailed for at least 24 years. Owen Grant, 43, killed Lucretia Donaghy, 32, known as Kiesha, at her home in Elgin in November 2023. Judge Lord Scott said Grant murdered the "unarmed and defenceless" woman by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a claw hammer or similar implement. Ms Donaghy died as a result of blunt force head injuries. Lord Scott described the frenzied attack as "exceptionally savage" and "brutal". He told Grant: "Whatever implement you used, whether a claw hammer or something similar, the murder weapon was never found, undoubtedly disposed of by you in calm and calculated efforts to conceal your crime and dispose of any evidence in its immediate aftermath." The court heard there had been no evidence of provocation, with Grant accused of murdering Ms Donaghy for money. Lord Scott stated: "On the evidence, you were struggling to pay your rent at the time. On your own evidence, you owed Lucretia Donaghy money for drugs. "Almost immediately after her death, you embarked, once again calmly, on a spending spree involving attending to your own needs and drug habit. "You went from having only £12.36 in the bank on 15 November 2023 to frittering away hundreds of pounds on cocaine in a matter of three or four days. "Frittering away hundreds of pounds of the murdered Lucretia Donaghy's money entirely on your own selfish purposes. You started to do so before her body had even been discovered, within no more than two hours of her death." Grant denied any wrongdoing but was on Thursday found guilty of murder following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. Lord Scott handed him a life sentence with at least 24 years behind bars. The judge highlighted a victim impact statement prepared by Ms Donaghy's mother, Amanda Gow. Lord Scott said: "She mourns for her daughter and the life Kiesha would have had. Her mind returns constantly to Kiesha's final minutes, wondering if she was in pain." In a statement released through Police Scotland, Ms Gow thanked all those who have shown support. She added: "Life without Kiesha will never be the same. She was my only daughter and my first born. Her two daughters will have to live their lives without their mum. "I still cannot get my head around the fact that she is gone and that her life was taken in such a brutal way." Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said it had been a "complex enquiry", but Grant was now facing the consequences of his actions. She added: "My thoughts remain with Kiesha's family and friends as they continue to try to come to terms with what happened. I hope the verdict will bring them some form of justice."


Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Savage killer who beat mum to death in 'exceptionally brutal' attack in home given at least 24 years
A killer who went on a spending spree after savagely beating a woman to death in her own home has been jailed for life for her murder. Owen Grant repeatedly bludgeoned Lucretia Donaghy, known as Keshia, with a weapon like a claw hammer in the fatal attack. A judge ordered that the 43-year-old must serve a minimum prison term of 24 years before he is eligible to seek release on parole because of the 'exceptionally brutal nature of the murder' and the killer's extensive record for violent crime. Lord Scott told Grant that he murdered 'an unarmed and defenceless' woman. He said: 'The attack was exceptionally savage, frenzied and, as your own senior counsel said, brutal.' The judge added: 'The reasons for this brutal murder remain unknown, but appear almost certainly to have been related to money.' Lord Scott said that after the murder Grant embarked on a spending spree 'frittering away' hundreds of pounds on cocaine. The judge told him that when, if ever, he is released, it will be a matter for the parole board. He said that in a victim impact statement the deceased's mother said her heart was broken following the loss of her only daughter. The mother-of-two died after sustaining multiple blunt force head injuries and was found lying face down in a bedroom at her address in Elgin, Moray. A neighbour had heard sounds of an argument coming from the downstairs flat and the victim calling out: 'No, no, no.' A passport in the name of Owen Grant was found in the property and he left his hand print in the victim's blood on a bedroom wall but claimed it came from tattooing her wrist. However, he was caught on camera with a wad of money after the killing. Grant, of Elgin, denied murdering the 32-year-old and claimed: 'I never laid a finger on her.' He told the High Court in Edinburgh that the killing was 'disgusting' and 'horrible' and he was devastated by the death. But a jury found him guilty of assaulting Ms Donaghy by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with an unknown object and murdering her on November 15, 2023 in Elgin, by a majority verdict on the third day of deliberations. Grant, a former labourer, who has previous convictions for violence and was sentenced to eight years detention in 2003 for arson to danger of life at Warrington Crown Court, in Cheshire, admitted he owed the victim £300 for cocaine but insisted he was planning to pay her back. But the court heard he had just £12 in his bank account at the time of the murder and had not paid his rent that week. Advocate depute Christopher Wilson KC told jurors: 'My suggestion to you is the accused had run out of money. A drug habit and a lack of money is a bad combination.' He added: 'No one saw Owen Grant wield the hammer. The hammer itself has never been recovered, if you accept it was a hammer.' Grant was seen on CCTV putting a bag in a refuse bin after the killing and buying cigarettes and drinks at a Scotmid store with a large amount of cash in his wallet. No money was recovered when police searched Ms Donaghy's home following the slaying and no murder weapon was found, however, a witness said Grant had made attempts to buy hundreds of pounds worth of drugs afterwards. Following the sentencing, her grieving mother, Amanda Gow, said: 'Life without Keshia will never be the same. She was my only daughter and my first born. Her two daughters will have to live their lives without their mum. 'I still cannot get my head around the fact that she is gone and that her life was taken in such a brutal way.' She thanked for police and everyone who's supported the family and asked for their privacy to be respected. Detective Superintendent Lorna Ferguson said: 'My thoughts remain with Keshia's family and friends as they continue to try to come to terms with what happened. I hope the verdict will bring them some form of justice. 'This was a complex enquiry and I would like to thank the local community for their patience and assistance throughout our investigation. 'Grant now faces the consequences of his actions.'


BBC News
20-05-2025
- BBC News
Murder trial: Woman was heard shouting before body found
Shouts of "no, no, no" were heard before a woman's body was later discovered in a Moray house, a murder trial has Donaghy, 32, who was known as Kiesha, was found dead at her home in Anderson Drive, Elgin, in November Grant, 43, is alleged to have assaulted and murdered her by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with an unknown Jacqueline Grant, a neighbour of Ms Donaghy, told the High Court in Edinburgh she had heard arguing and shouting. Ms Grant, 59, lived in a flat above, and described what she heard on 15 November, Grant said she was at home with a friend and told the court: "We heard a lot of arguing and shouting downstairs."She heard the sound of a thud and added: "I knew it was somebody falling on the floor because it had happened before."She said the noise was coming from Keisha's flat and told the court: "I think there was a time she was shouting 'no, no, no'."Ms Grant said her neighbour's dog was barking and growling and added: "Obviously there was somebody there that he didn't like."She later heard the dog pining and contacted a friend of Kiesha's, who had a key for the downstairs flat, before the dead woman was discovered. No forced entry Det Sgt Lynsey McLean said that when she went to the flat its front door was undamaged, with no sign of forced entry to the officer said the deceased was lying face down in a bedroom with her knees up towards her was shown photographs taken at the address and said that in one there was a said she looked at the passport and it was in the name of an Owen also saw a box on a counter top in the kitchen with a label on it with the same trial, before judge Lord Scott, continues.


BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Man goes on trial charged with murdering woman in Elgin
A 43-year-old man has gone on trial accused of murdering a woman in Donaghy, 32, was found dead at her home in Anderson Drive, Elgin, in November Grant is alleged to have assaulted and murdered her by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with an an unknown Grant pled not guilty to the charge at the start of a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. The judge, Lord Scott, told jurors that the case was expected to last a further five or six trial is due to resume on Tuesday.