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| Corstorphine Hill trial: James Dunleavy guilty of killing his mother | Corstorphine Hill trial: James Dunleavy guilty of killing his mother |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man has been found guilty of killing his mother and burying her dismembered body in a shallow grave. | A man has been found guilty of killing his mother and burying her dismembered body in a shallow grave. |
| The High Court in Edinburgh had been told of a row between James Dunleavy and his 66-year-old mother Philomena shortly before she disappeared. | The High Court in Edinburgh had been told of a row between James Dunleavy and his 66-year-old mother Philomena shortly before she disappeared. |
| Her remains were later found in a shallow grave in a clearing on Edinburgh's Corstorphine Hill. | Her remains were later found in a shallow grave in a clearing on Edinburgh's Corstorphine Hill. |
| Dunleavy stood trial for murder but was found guilty of culpable homicide on grounds of diminished responsibility. | Dunleavy stood trial for murder but was found guilty of culpable homicide on grounds of diminished responsibility. |
| Judge Lord Jones ordered Dunleavy to remain in the State Hospital at Carstairs while psychiatrists continue to assess his condition. | Judge Lord Jones ordered Dunleavy to remain in the State Hospital at Carstairs while psychiatrists continue to assess his condition. |
| Dunleavy is due to return to court in April for the judge to decide the next move. | Dunleavy is due to return to court in April for the judge to decide the next move. |
| He had denied battering to death his mother in his flat in Balgreen Road, Edinburgh, sometime between 30 April and 7 May last year. | He had denied battering to death his mother in his flat in Balgreen Road, Edinburgh, sometime between 30 April and 7 May last year. |
| Mrs Dunleavy, from Marino, Dublin, had been visiting her son at the time. He had been working as a labourer on the Edinburgh tram project. | Mrs Dunleavy, from Marino, Dublin, had been visiting her son at the time. He had been working as a labourer on the Edinburgh tram project. |
| The charge stated that Dunleavy inflicted "blunt force trauma" by means unknown, compressed his mother's throat and cut off her head and legs. | The charge stated that Dunleavy inflicted "blunt force trauma" by means unknown, compressed his mother's throat and cut off her head and legs. |
| He was also found guilty on a second charge which stated Dunleavy had attempted to defeat the ends of justice by trying to cover up her death and destroy evidence. | He was also found guilty on a second charge which stated Dunleavy had attempted to defeat the ends of justice by trying to cover up her death and destroy evidence. |
| Dunleavy had pretended his mother was unwell and had returned to Ireland. Instead, he had put her torso, severed legs and head into a suitcase and took the dismembered body to Corstorphine Hill where he buried her. | Dunleavy had pretended his mother was unwell and had returned to Ireland. Instead, he had put her torso, severed legs and head into a suitcase and took the dismembered body to Corstorphine Hill where he buried her. |
| Prosecutors also said Dunleavy vacuumed and washed his flat to remove blood stains and set fire to a bed and mattress. | Prosecutors also said Dunleavy vacuumed and washed his flat to remove blood stains and set fire to a bed and mattress. |
| Facial reconstruction | |
| Det Ch Insp Keith Hardie, who led this investigation, said: "James Dunleavy was involved in causing his mother's death and then failed to report the matter to police, instead opting to conceal her body within a wooded area in Corstorphine Hill. | Det Ch Insp Keith Hardie, who led this investigation, said: "James Dunleavy was involved in causing his mother's death and then failed to report the matter to police, instead opting to conceal her body within a wooded area in Corstorphine Hill. |
| "Following the discovery of Phyllis Dunleavy's body Police Scotland launched a major investigation and appeal for information, which was assisted by a number of specialist agencies. | "Following the discovery of Phyllis Dunleavy's body Police Scotland launched a major investigation and appeal for information, which was assisted by a number of specialist agencies. |
| "Thanks to this support a facial reconstruction was created and released to the public and soon after, we had a confirmed identity and a subsequent arrest." | "Thanks to this support a facial reconstruction was created and released to the public and soon after, we had a confirmed identity and a subsequent arrest." |
| Mrs Dunleavy disappeared days after she arrived in Scotland to visit her son last April. | |
| Her remains were discovered in early June by ski instructor Aaron McLean-Foreman, who was cycling on Costorphine Hill | |
| Police launched Operation Sandpiper, appealing for help to identify the body. At first cosmetic dentistry, carried out in Hungary, led them to consider the possibility of a migrant worker from Eastern Europe. | |
| Mrs Dunleavy's claddagh ring took the search to Ireland. | |
| CT scans of Mrs Dunleavy's skull, combined with computer technology, enabled Dundee University's craniofacial expert Dr Caroline Wilkinson to produce a likeness of the dead woman. | |
| Shouting match | |
| The court heard the 66-year-old, who suffered from a number of medical problems and had been badly affected by a stroke, had a habit of wandering without telling anyone where she was going. | |
| But by early July her family in Dublin were beginning to wonder where she was. Dunleavy had phoned on 2 May to say she was on her way home, but his mother never arrived. | |
| A call was made to police in Edinburgh, followed by a call on 3 July from Dunleavy himself. Police visited him the following day. Four days later he was charged with her murder. | |
| Police heard about a shouting match between Dunleavy and his mother about her supposed affair with another man. | |
| Witnesses also told the trial that Dunleavy had described "hearing voices" and had told a friend: "I might be evil." | |
| Secure detention | |
| Two months after his arrest Dunleavy's legal team arranged for his transfer from prison to the State Hospital. | |
| Three psychiatrists told the trial that Dunleavy clearly had a problems - although it was too early to say exactly what. | |
| Paranoid schizophrenia was suggested as a possibility. | |
| The trial heard that after Mrs Dunleavy's body was found the family refused to help police investigating her death. | |
| Mrs Dunleavy's 68-year-old husband, also James, was in court as the eight women and seven man reported their verdict. So too was the accused's brother Austin, 27, who is close to completing a football scholarship, studying history in the US. | |
| As they left the High Court in Edinburgh, Mr Dunleavy senior said: "I will not be making any statements." |