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Mum who stabbed three kids to death over bitter custody battle found dead in prison

Theresa Riggi is believed to have committed suicide inside notorious Rampton hospital in Nottinghamshire - she was serving a 16 year sentence for murder

By Martin Fricker - Mirror.co.uk

March 10, 2014

A mum who stabbed her three young children to death after a bitter divorce battle has been found dead in a high-security prison.

Theresa Riggi, 49, is believed to have committed suicide inside notorious Rampton hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Staff found the American's body in the early hours of the morning and called paramedics but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was serving a 16 year sentence for the killings of her eight-year-old twin sons Austin and Gianluca and five-year-old daughter Cecilia.

Riggi, who was transferred to Rampton several months ago, stabbed the youngsters to death at the family home in Edinburgh in 2010.

The evil mum used a different knife to stab each child eight time following a bitter marriage split from their dad Pasquale.

She then tried to cover up their deaths with a gas explosion at the posh townhouse before leaping from a balcony - only to survive the 40ft fall.

She was jailed the following year after admitting culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Riggi was disfigured for life by a fellow inmate while being held in Cornton Vale women's prison near Stirling in 2012.

She was moved to Rampton from a psychiatric unit in Scotland late last year because it was felt medics there were better placed to treat her.

California-born Riggi was housed in the hospital's main wing alongside other notorious patients including 'Angel of Death' child killer Beverley Allitt.

Soham murderer Ian Huntley was also once treated at Rampton, a high-security facility near Retford, Notts.

When Riggi was jailed at the High Courtin Glasgow, judge Lord Bracadale described the killings as "grotesque" and "truly disturbing".

He added: "The result of these acts is a devastating family tragedy.

"The father of the children, Pasquale Riggi, and the wider family have been left utterly bereft by the loss of the children.

"And you, who had a genuine but abnormal and possessive love of your children, have lost them and are brought to this sorry pass."

He said that while Riggi's responsibility had been diminished, she was still responsible for her actions.

The court heard psychiatrists agreed she suffered from narcissistic, paranoid and histrionic disorders.

Riggi vanished with her three children in July 2010 and they were the subject of a missing persons appeal.

Police eventually traced them to a flat on the west side of Edinburgh later the same month but officers took no further action.

On August 3, Theresa Riggi failed to turn up to a custody hearing.

The judge duly instructed that she be traced and a decision taken by social workers as to whether her children should be taken into care.

But tragically the next day the children were found dead.

A Nottinghamshire Police spokeswoman said: "We were called to Rampton in the early hours of this morning to the death of a woman.

"It's not being treated as suspicious and we are preparing a file for the coroner."

Theresa Riggi jailed for killing her three children

BBC News

April 27, 2011

A mother who admitted killing her three young children at their Edinburgh home has been jailed for 16 years.

Theresa Riggi, 47, had pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She was originally charged with murder.

Her eight-year-old twins Austin and Gianluca and their five-year-old sister Cecilia were found dead at their flat in Slateford Road on 4 August 2010.

They were found with stab wounds after a suspected gas explosion at the flat.

The family had moved to Edinburgh from Skene in Aberdeenshire following the break-up of her marriage to the children's father, Pasquale Riggi.

In a statement, read out by a spokesman from Victim Support Scotland outside the High court in Glasgow, Mr Riggi said: "The horrific manner in which my children died will leave an indelible mark on the rest of my life. As a father, my natural instincts were geared towards safeguarding my children from the dangers of this world.

"It pains me to the core that I was unable to protect them from the selfish, brutal and murderous act that ended their lives so unfairly.

"There is no justification for this heinous crime, repeated three times, nor is there any sentence that can provide justice for the overwhelming loss of three lives and the subsequent painful grief and devastation caused to surviving family and friends."

Passing sentence at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Bracadale said: "The result of these acts is a devastating family tragedy. The father of the children, Pasquale Riggi, and the wider family have been left utterly bereft by the loss of the children.

"And you, who had a genuine but abnormal and possessive love of your children, have lost them and are brought to this sorry pass."

He said that while Riggi's responsibility had been diminished, she was still responsible for her actions.

"The effect of the diminished responsibility is to reduce these crimes from what would have been exceptionally wicked crimes of murder to what are still very serious crimes of culpable homicide," he said.

"The number and nature of the stab wounds to each child is indicative of a truly disturbing degree of violence which, in order to bring about the deaths of three children, must have been sustained over a significant period of time. It is difficult to envisage the physical commission of such acts."

He added they were "ghastly and grotesque acts".

He sentenced her to 18 years in prison but reduced it by two years due to her early plea. The sentence will be backdated to August last year.

He recommended Riggi be deported at the end of her sentence.

Last month, the High Court in Edinburgh heard California-born Riggi had been a protective mother who was involved in a custody battle with her estranged husband over access to the children.

Phone call

The couple had spoken on the telephone 48 hours before the children were found dead.

During that conversation Riggi asked her husband if he was going to take the children away, to which he replied that she had left him no choice.

Riggi replied: "Say goodbye then" and then hung up the phone.

The court heard how the violinist stabbed each of her children eight times.

Witnesses said they saw Riggi on the second-floor balcony "screaming loudly" before climbing on to the railings. She then intentionally fell head-first from the balcony.

Defence QC Donald Findlay told the court that Riggi had been under a huge amount of stress at the time of the killings and suffered from a collection of personality disorders.

He said she was "wholly devoted" to her children and feared they would be taken away from her.

Mr Findlay said: "However irrational and however insane, that was the world as Theresa Riggi saw it.

"Killing them was the last gift she could give them."

Det Supt Allan Jones, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "This has been a very sad case in which the lives of three beautiful young children were cut tragically short.

"Mr Riggi, who lost his loved ones through their untimely death, and his family and friends are very much in our thoughts.

"It was a difficult inquiry for everyone involved and I would like to commend the professionalism of all those who worked on it."

Mother jailed for stabbing her three children to death to stop her estranged husband taking custody found dead at psychiatric hospital

• Theresa Riggi found dead at Rampton Secure Hospital, Nottinghamshire

• Mother killed twins Austin and Luke, eight, and Cecilia, five, in August 2010

• Each child found with eight stab wounds in Riggi’s Edinburgh flat

• Riggi, then 46, was in legal battle with estranged husband over her children

• She admitted culpable homicide on grounds of diminished responsibility

• Was jailed for 16 years and held at Cornton Vale Prison before being transferred to high security hospital in 2011

By Lizzie Edmonds - DailyMail.co.uk

March 10, 2014

A mother who stabbed her three young children to death has been found dead in a high security hospital.

Theresa Riggi, 50, was found at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire in the early hours of this morning.

Riggi was jailed at Edinburgh High Court for 16 years for killing her eight-year-old twins Austin and Luke and her five-year-old daughter Cecilia at their home in August 2010.

Their bloodstained bodies were discovered lying side by side in the Slateford Road, Edinburgh, property following a gas explosion at the building, each with eight stab wounds.

US-born Riggi was initially charged with murder - but admitted three counts of the lesser charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

She was moved to the high security hospital in 2011.

Police confirmed they were called to the unit today to the death of a woman. They added they were not treating the death as suspicious.

At the time of the case, the court heard the bodies of the three children were found by building manager Derek Knight on the afternoon of August 4, following a loud explosion at the property.

When police entered the house they saw the three children lying side by side on the bedroom floor.

They also found three knives nearby, each covered in blood, and noted large amounts of blood in numerous places throughout the house.

Paramedics who went to the scene believed the children had been dead for some hours.

Pathologists found all three children had multiple bruises and abrasions and died of stab wounds to the chest.

On that day, neighbour Jordan Cochrane, saw Riggi climb on to the balcony after the blast before 'intentionally' falling head first.

He managed to break her fall but she was found to have four or five stab wounds, a collapsed lung, cuts to her neck and wrist and fractures.

At a previous hearing, the court heard both Riggi and her husband Pasquale, although separated, were living in Aberdeen before Riggi took the children to live at the Slateford Road property. It was stated she took the children unknown to Mr Riggi.

The court heard how the couple had been involved in a legal action over the children's custody at the time of the killings.

At the time, Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, said the couple had been due to appear at a hearing the day before the youngsters' deaths.

Days before the killings, Riggi told a friend things were so bad he would 'hear about it on the national news'.

On the evening of August 2, Riggi spoke to her husband on the phone. Mr Prentice said she accused him of being in collusion with their solicitors and asked if he would take the children away.

On being told she 'left him no choice', Riggi replied 'say goodbye then' and hung up.

The couple had previously lived together in the U.S., the Netherlands and Lowestoft, Suffolk.

The court heard a report into Riggi's mental state - which identified narcissistic, paranoid and hysterical personality disorders.

Jailing her at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Bracadale said: 'You have pled guilty to charges of repeatedly stabbing to death each of your twin sons, Austin and Luke, and your daughter Cecilia, aged five years.

'The result of these acts is a devastating family tragedy. The father of the children, Pasquale Riggi, and the wider family have been left utterly bereft by the loss of the children.

'And you, who had a genuine but abnormal and possessive love of your children, have lost them and are brought to this sorry pass.'

He added: 'You, and others, must understand that while your responsibility is diminished, you are still responsible for your actions.

'The effect of the diminished responsibility is to reduce these crimes from what would have been exceptionally wicked crimes of murder to what are still very serious crimes of culpable homicide.

Outside court, Pasquale Riggi stood as a statement was read out on his behalf. It spoke of his 'wonderful, energetic, bright and happy' children who were taken away by a 'selfish, brutal and murderous' act.

In the statement read by David Sinclair, of Victim Support Scotland, Mr Riggi said: 'I will never forget Austin, Luke and Cecilia. They left everlasting impressions on me. I think about them at least 100 times each day. They are in my thoughts when I wake in the morning and before I go to sleep at night.

'They were such wonderful energetic, bright and happy children. Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Cecilia, Luke and Austin, looked forward to watching them grow while they independently navigate through their unique life journeys.

'We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to know and love them and the memories that we made together, allowing us to cherish them so dearly now."

He added: "The horrific manner in which my children died will leave an indelible mark on the rest of my life. As a father, my natural instincts were geared towards safeguarding my children from the dangers of this world.

'It pains me to the core that I was unable to protect them from the selfish, brutal and murderous act that ended their lives so unfairly.

'There is no justification for this heinous crime, repeated three times, nor is there any sentence that can provide justice for the overwhelming loss of three lives and the subsequent painful grief and devastation caused to surviving family and friends.'

Riggi was held at Cornton Vale Prison, near Stirling, but after a string of alleged attacks from other inmates in 2011 she was moved to Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Riggi was found dead at the unit today.

A Nottinghamshire Police spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm that we were called to Rampton in the early hours of this morning to the death of a woman.

'It's not being treated as suspicious and we are preparing a file for the coroner.’

A MOTHER WHO INSISTED HER CHILDREN WORE ELECTRONIC 'LOCATORS'

Theresa Riggi, described in court as a paranoid and hysterical woman, might have stabbed her children to death because she believed it was the only way of keeping them safe.

Riggi, who was locked in a custody battle with her husband, loved her sons and daughter 'too much', according to her lawyer Donald Findlay QC.

Her 'possessive' attitude towards the children had been evident since their birth, the court was told on that day.

She insisted they wore electronic 'locators', controlled by her when they were in public places, and later that they carry mobile phones pre-programmed to call her number.

The situation worsened when she and her husband Pasquale Riggi began divorce proceedings which led to a bitter battle for custody of their children.

Riggi, from California in the U.S., came to live in the UK 13 years ago with her husband, a Shell employee from Colorado, moving to Aberdeen in February 2007. They later separated.

Mrs Riggi and the children disappeared from their Aberdeen home in July and were traced to an address in Edinburgh.

A judge warned they could be in danger just 24 hours before their death when Riggi failed to appear at a divorce hearing that day.

In court Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, said that on the evening of August 2, at around 11.30pm, Riggi spoke to her husband on the phone.

Mr Prentice said she accused him of being in collusion with their solicitors and asked if he would take the children away.

On being told that she 'left him no choice', Riggi replied: 'Say goodbye then.' And she hung up.

Two days later building manager Derek Knight found the bodies of the three children after a gas explosion at houses in Slateford Road, Edinburgh, where Riggi was staying in a property rented by a friend.

Riggi was seen rocking back and forth on the second-floor balcony of the property before she 'intentionally' fell head-first, the court was told.

She sustained several injuries, including four to five stab wounds to her body, which were believed to have been self-inflicted, and spent weeks in hospital, making her first court appearances there when part of the infirmary was temporarily designated as a court.

When police entered the house in Slateford Road, they saw the three children lying side by side on the floor. They also found three knives nearby, each covered in blood.

Mr Findlay told the court she was intent on suicide on the day of the killings and had left a space for herself between the children's bodies. He said that, if possible, 'she loved them too much'.

A report into Riggi's mental state identified narcissistic, paranoid and hysterical personality disorders.

Paranoid killer mother fitted her three children with electronic tags

By Michael Seamark - DailyMail.co.uk

March 8, 2011

• Youngsters also given mobile phone to call her if estranged husband said anything they didn't like

• Used three separate knives to stab each child eight times

• She attempted suicide leaping from second floor balcony

• Defence barrister says 'most tragic case' he's seen in 35 years

A mother who killed her three children following a custody battle was so paranoid that she made them wear locator tags when they were with their father.

Theresa Riggi did everything she could to stop Cecilia, five, and twins Augustino and Gianluca, eight, having contact with her estranged husband Pasquale.

She even gave them a phone so they could call her if the oil engineer said anything they did not like.

The 47-year-old became obsessed with the idea he wanted to take the children away, a court heard yesterday. When he confirmed he wanted full access, she ended the telephone call with the words: ‘Say goodbye then.’

She used three separate knives to kill the children, stabbing each eight times. Church music was playing in the background when their bodies were discovered.

All three were laid out in bloodied clothing on the bedroom floor before Riggi tried to kill herself by jumping headfirst off a second-floor balcony at their Edinburgh home. In custody in hospital, Riggi told a chaplain: ‘I’m not meant to be here.’

She said she had to protect the children and get away from ‘the evil’.

When staff accused her of stealing a knife Riggi returned it, telling them: ‘I just want to be with my babies.’

Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC told the High Court in Edinburgh: ‘She stated that she had a second chance and God had saved her in order to make her husband pay for what he did.’

The court was told the American couple’s children were born through IVF treatment and, straight away, Riggi became very possessive. In a desperate attempt to gain access to his children Mr Riggi started the legal action which was to lead to their deaths.

Riggi was originally charged with murdering the children but the Crown yesterday accepted her guilty pleas to culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Donald Findlay QC, defending, said: ‘Theresa Riggi is not evil, she is not wicked, she is not a monster. If it is possible to love one’s children too much, she loved them too much.

‘They were a part of her. She was a part of them. She believed she and the children were safer together in death than they ever could be in life.

‘It wasn’t the children who were to die that day. It was all four of them who were to die that day.’

He said a space had been left by Riggi beside her children where she was to take her place.

Psychiatrists who examined her found she had narcissistic, paranoid and histrionic personality disorders, he said. At the time of the killings, she was suffering from an ‘acute stress reaction’.

Adjourning the case for further reports, Lord Bracadale told her: ‘Your husband has been left bereft.’

He said psychiatrists agreed she was suffering from a personality disorder, but he added: ‘You do still have responsibility for your actions and I must impose a sentence on you to reflect that.’

The Riggis married in 1989 in the U.S. and moved to the UK in 1997.

The twins were born as a result of IVF treatment and other embryos were cryogenically frozen.

One of the embryos was later implanted on her insistence, resulting in Cecilia’s birth.

Mr Prentice said: ‘After their birth the accused was very possessive with the twins and would accept no help or visits.

'She insisted on sleeping with the babies in her bed and would not allow Mr Riggi to sleep in the same bed with them and insisted he move into another bedroom.

‘Eventually the babies moved into the nursery and were followed by the accused who slept in that room with them. It was at this time that the physical side to their marriage ended.’

Following the birth of their daughter and an unsuccessful bid to have another child by IVF, the relationship deteriorated and Mr Riggi moved to Aberdeen where he started to seek a divorce.

Mr Prentice said their relationship worsened in 2009 and she began to stop her husband seeing his children. Finally, Mr Riggi, 46, started court proceedings for unsupervised access.

After the children failed to attend a meeting with their father in Aberdeen on July 12 last year, he alerted Grampian Police that they were missing.

The mother and children were later traced to the house in Edinburgh. Messengers at arms later arrived with a warrant to seize the children’s passports and told Riggi of the next court date.

On August 2 – the eve of the scheduled court hearing – Riggi had the final telephone conversation with her husband.

She was not present in court the following day when Mr Riggi’s lawyers told the judge, Lady Clarke, ‘there is a real emergency in this matter’. She ordered social workers to supervise the children – but the faxed instruction was not received for 24 hours – five minutes after they were found dead.

The case was adjourned to the High Court in Glasgow on April 26.

Mr Riggi, 46, described his loss as an overwhelming tragedy, saying: ‘My intention is now to seek to move on, which will not be an easy task.’

Riggi pair were together for 17 years

BBC News

March 7, 2011

Theresa Macrena Butimore married Pasquale Riggi on 30 September 1989.

They lived in California, North America, where Riggi was brought up, but in 1990 they relocated to Colorado due to Mr Riggi's job as an engineer with Shell.

In 1997 they moved again, for Mr Riggi's job, to Lowestoft in England where they lived for eight years.

It was there they "enjoyed a lifestyle with considerable material wealth and travel", according to court reports.

Apart from a brief period working in a video business Riggi did not work outside the home during the marriage.

Before the marriage she had hoped to become a professional violinist/singer but an accident in her late teens ended those plans.

Despite the relationship deteriorating they continued to live together, and Riggi embarked on IVF treatment.

On 17 December 2001, Riggi gave birth to Augustino, who was known as Austin, and Gianluca, who was known as Luke.

They were non-identical twins and born as a result of the IVF.

After their births, Riggi, was "very possessive with the twins and would accept no help or visits", according to court reports.

At the end of 2003, Riggi had a previously frozen embryo implanted, which resulted in the birth of Cecilia on 9 August 2004.

In June 2004 the family moved to the Netherlands.

They remained there until the end of July when they returned to England as Riggi was "dissatisfied" with the level of Dutch antenatal care.

Several more attempts at IVF were unsuccessful which Riggi blamed on Mr Riggi because he had "stressed and upset her", according to court reports.

In October/November 2006 the pair separated with Mr Riggi moving to Aberdeen while Riggi lived back in the Netherlands.

In February 2007 Riggi and the children moved to Aberdeen so Mr Riggi could have contact with the children.

In 2009 the relationship deteriorated further with Riggi attempting to stop Mr Riggi from seeing their children.

When the children were allowed to visit Mr Riggi in 2010 they were wearing locators and each had mobile phones.

The pair also disagreed on Riggi's decision to home school the children with Mr Riggi wanting them to attend the local school.

Dr Brenda Robson, an independent chartered child psychologist, said the children "had little or no peer contact and who perceived school and the outside world as frightening, threatening unsafe places".

On 20 July 2010 Riggi and the children were reported missing by Mr Riggi.

On 4 August 2010 all three children were found stabbed to death in Edinburgh.

Mother weeps in court as she is accused of murdering her three children in home gas explosion

DailyMail.co.uk

February 4, 2011

A mother accused of murdering her three young children wept as she appeared in court for the first time today.

Theresa Riggi is alleged to have killed eight-year-old twins Austin and Luke and their five-year-old sister Cecilia at their Edinburgh home in August last year.

Riggi, 47, who wore a white dress and jacket and held a handkerchief as she sat in the dock, was at the High Court in the city for a short preliminary hearing.

Police and fire crews were called to a suspected gas explosion at Mrs Riggi's home in Edinburgh, where they found the bodies of the three children on August 4 last year.

American Riggi faces three charges of murder and another of culpably and recklessly causing a gas explosion.

All the events are alleged to have happened between August 2 and 4 last year at an address in the city, where she and her children were living.

Prosecutors allege that Cecilia and the twins, who are also known as Augustino and Gianluca, were repeatedly struck on the body with a knife or knives.

Riggi is further alleged to have removed a gas hob from its fixings and undone screws from the burner valves, allowing gas to escape. It is claimed she made sure the windows and doors were locked and ignited the gas, causing it to explode.

The charge claims that the fire which followed caused damage to the property, put people in danger and severely injured Riggi.

The case was continued without plea to a hearing on March 7 in Edinburgh.

The children's American father, oil engineer Pasquale Riggi, 46, spoke of his grief after their deaths. He said: 'You are paralysed with grief. You are not sure what to do next.

Shell employee Mr Riggi, who is from Colorado, and his wife, from California, came to live in the UK 13 years ago.

They lived in Lowestoft, then spent two years in Holland before moving to Aberdeen in February 2007. He last saw his children on July 4 when they were treated to a day out at Aberdeen beach to celebrate U.S. Independence Day.

He said: 'The hardest moment without a doubt was when I first found out. Your life is all about your children, you have plans and you have dreams for them.

'In one instant, that's gone.'

'The reality of it all is difficult to take all at once. You can't even get your head around it.

'The difficult part, obviously, is seeing constant reminders on a daily basis in front of you - it's playing out in the newspapers and on TV.'

It's almost like it's happening to someone else and you keep asking yourself, "Is it me, is this my family?". And then the reality hits you that it is.'

Referring to himself and the extended family, he said: 'We know that once all the shock and all the initial sadness of this subsides, there will be deep pain and suffering that we will all need to seek counselling for.'

He added: 'We were so blessed to have three happy, healthy and bright and active children.

'The memories that we have of Austin, Luke and Cecilia will forever provide joy and comfort as we go through the weeks, months and years ahead.'

He said of the his last outing with is children: 'It was very enjoyable, we were out all day at the beach recreation centre in Aberdeen, playing video games and at various restaurants.

'It was a nice day, I have fond memories of that day.'

HMA v THERESA RIGGI

At the High Court in Glasgow Lord Bracadale sentenced Theresa Riggi to 16 years in prison after she pled guilty to the culpable homicide of Augustino, Gianluca and Cecilia Riggi in August 2010 at Slateford Road, Edinburgh.

On sentencing Lord Bracadale made the following statement in court:

You have pled guilty to charges of repeatedly stabbing to death each of your twin sons, Austin and Luke, aged 9 years, and your daughter Cecilia, aged 5 years.

The result of these acts is a devastating family tragedy. The father of the children, Pasquale Riggi, and the wider family, have been left utterly bereft by the loss of the children.

And you, who had a genuine but abnormal and possessive love of your children, have lost them and are brought to this sorry pass.

I accept that it was your intention to commit suicide and that in a number of different ways you attempted to do that. Indeed, but for the quick thinking and brave action of Mr Jordan Cochrane in breaking your fall when you jumped from the second floor balcony, you might well have succeeded.

There has been extensive examination of your state of mind by psychiatrists. You are not mentally ill. The psychiatrists have agreed that you were suffering from personality disorders which substantially impaired your ability to make decisions. As a result, the Crown have accepted your plea of guilty to culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Mr Findlay has fully explored the development of the events as you saw them which brought you to the stage where you committed these acts.

You, and others, must understand that while your responsibility is diminished, you are still responsible for your actions. The effect of the diminished responsibility is to reduce these crimes from what would have been exceptionally wicked crimes of murder to what are still very serious crimes of culpable homicide. The number and nature of the stab wounds to each child is indicative of a truly disturbing degree of violence which, in order to bring about the deaths of three children, must have been sustained over a significant period of time. It is difficult to envisage the physical commission of such acts. Dr Crichton considers that the degree of violence and the sustained nature of it are inexplicable in terms of your disorder of the mind.

It is clear that any degree of responsibility for such ghastly and grotesque acts must be visited with a lengthy sentence of imprisonment.

I am required to identify the appropriate sentence for these offences and then to consider whether and, if so, to what extent, a discount should be applied to reflect the stage at which you intimated your intention to plead guilty. I am bound to say that I have found the task of identifying the appropriate sentence particularly difficult, having regard to the nature of the disorder of your mind; the uncertainties recognised by the psychiatrists; and the inexplicable extreme and sustained violence involved. Taking all the considerations together as best I can I consider that the appropriate sentence for the three charges, taken together, leaving out of account the stage at which you intimated your intention to plead guilty would be one of 18 years imprisonment.

As to discount, it seems to me that in the light of the facts of the case and the agreement of the views of the psychiatrists the plea of guilty to culpable homicide was inevitable.

Accordingly, I shall limit the discount to 2 years and pass a sentence of 16 years imprisonment, backdated to 4 August 2010.

I make a recommendation in terms of section 6(1) of the Immigration Act 1971 for deportation.

You also become subject to automatic listing in terms of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.