Murder of Brenda Page

Dr Brenda Page was born in Ipswich and studied zoology at University College London before earning a PhD in genetics at the University of Glasgow. There she met Christopher Merlin Harnett Harrisson, born 1940, in 1971. They married in Ipswich on 6 May 1972. In 1973 Page became principal of the newly formed genetics department at the University of Aberdeen Medical School. The couple bought a house together in Aberdeen but separated within four years and divorced in 1977. Prior to her death, Page had begun working part-time as an escort through an Edinburgh agency, meeting businessmen for meals in Aberdeen, and was saving money from this work to buy her Allan Street flat. The night before she died she had been at a hotel in Aberdeen with two men.

Page's body was found in her ground-floor flat at 13 Allan Street, Aberdeen, on 15 July 1978. She had died the previous day. She was found lifeless in her nightdress on her bed, having suffered at least 20 blunt-force injuries to her head and face along with defensive injuries to her hands. The original post-mortem concluded she had suffered a violent assault.

The initial police investigation was substantial, involving around 35 detectives and 50 uniformed officers in its first week, 550 inquiries, more than 200 statements, and over 5,000 distributed posters. Police searched for a green duffel bag believed to contain the murder weapon and other evidence, searched the university campus, sent divers into the River Dee, and searched roadside verges and rail lines. Harrisson was a prime suspect from the outset, but the investigation was wound down in 1980 without charges.

The case was reviewed several times over the following decades, with a final re-investigation beginning in 2015 by the Major Investigation Team North, which reassessed evidence, re-interviewed witnesses where possible, and applied modern DNA analysis. In March 2020 it was disclosed that a 79-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the case, with 800 new pieces of evidence amassed.

Harrisson was tried at the High Court in Aberdeen. An initial trial diet in August 2022 was discharged after his advocate withdrew from representing him. At the trial that began in February 2023, prosecuted by Alex Prentice, witnesses described Page's fear of Harrisson, past threats and physical violence, and stalking after their divorce despite a court order. Forensic evidence included Harrisson's sperm on the bedsheet where Page's body was found, and green paint flakes near the window matching paint from inside Harrisson's car. Harrisson denied all charges, presented an alibi, and testified that Page had fabricated abuse allegations against him. He was convicted by majority verdict on 9 March 2023 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years before parole eligibility, aged 82 at conviction.