An Aberdeen domestic abuser who murdered his partner in her own home and claimed “she deserved it” was jailed for life today.
A judge ordered that Christopher Cook should serve a minimum of 20 years in prison following the killing of Jacqueline Kerr, who died from head and neck injuries at her flat in Sunnyside Road, Aberdeen.
Lord Weir told Cook, 44, that he had committed “what can only have been a brutal and sustained assault upon her with tragic and fatal consequences”.
The judge said he would have imposed a minimum jail term of 24 years on Cook if he had been convicted of the offence after a trial.
Cook, of no fixed abode, earlier admitted murdering the 54-year-old support worker for children with learning difficulties on January 15 this year.
He fatally assaulted the victim by repeatedly inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and body by means to the prosecutor unknown.
The victim was found to have sustained a brain injury of a type typically seen in deaths resulting from a road traffic collision or a fall from height.
The offence was aggravated by involving the abuse of his partner or former partner and by Cook being on bail, having been freed at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on November 18 last year.
The court heard that following the attack on his victim Cook sent a message to an acquaintance stating: “I’ve killed that bird.”
Advocate depute Shanti Maguire said Cook and Ms Kerr had been in what was described as “an on/off relationship since about February/March 2022”.
But in June last year Cook turned violent and grabbed her by the hair, dragged her to the ground and hit her on the arms, body and face.
The victim told a friend that she was assaulted because she would not tell Cook that she loved him.
She later told her friend: “It’s getting scary now. I’ll have to watch my back to stay safe.”
The victim’s body was found after police forced entry to her home and found her with significant head and facial injuries.
Cook was later stopped in a car and was heard shouting “check the CCTV, she deserved it”.
Police arrived to find him being restrained by witnesses in the Bridge of Don area.
Defence counsel Michael Anderson KC said of Cook: “He has worked all his adult life. He has a minimal record of previous convictions.”
He said Cook continued to enjoy the support of his two daughters and a former partner.
Mr Anderson said Cook had found recounting the events of the murder to a social worker, who prepared a background report on him, to be “extremely distressing”.
The defence counsel said: “He advises that he wept most of the meeting.”
‘Awful crime’ crime committed while on bail
An Aberdeen domestic abuse charity said it was concerning that Cook committed his “awful crime” while on bail for charges against Jacqueline.
Aileen Forbes, manager of Grampian Women’s Aid, said: “Whilst we acknowledge the sentencing of Christopher Cook today, it can never replace the life that has been lost.
“Jacqueline’s family and friends have lost a significant woman in their lives in a most brutal way, and no sentence can compensate for this.
“Grampian Women’s Aid stand alongside Jacqueline’s family, sharing their feelings of devastation at her loss and send our thoughts to her family.
“We understand that Christopher Cook committed this awful crime whilst on bail for charges against Jacqueline.
“The issue of release on bail in these circumstances is something that Grampian Women’s Aid understand may be a concern for many women facing domestic abuse in their own lives.
“We cannot help but reflect that this is the second man in two weeks to be sentenced for killing his partner while released on bail and stand with Scottish Women’s Aid, who, on behalf of our network and other victims’ organisations, opposed recent changes to make it easier to release accused on bail.”
Women and children in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire who are experiencing domestic abuse can get help and support by contacting Grampian Women’s Aid on 01224 593381 or at www.grampian-womens-aid.com.
Killer was ‘uncontrollable domestic abuser and always spoiling for a fight’, co-workers reveal
