Jenny Methven murder: ‘My mum’s killer was just like a brother to me’

THE SON of murdered pensioner Jenny Methven has said he cannot forgive her killer – a man he saw as “almost a brother to me”.

William Kean, 46, even tried to blame David Methven for the murder of his mother. But a jury at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday found him guilty of beating the “kindly” 80-year-old woman to death in her own kitchen.

Kean hit her 11 times with such ferocity that Ms Methven’s skull fractured from one side to the other.

Speaking outside the court, Mr Methven, 58, paid tribute to his mother and thanked neighbours for their support.

“No verdict will bring my mother back or spare her the terrible ordeal that took her life,” he said.

“I will never be able to imagine her suffering in those moments or comprehend the cruelty of a man who would do that to an elderly woman who regarded him as a friend to the family.

“Billy Kean was a friend of mine for more than 20 years. In fact. we were almost like brothers.

“I cannot begin to understand or forgive what he did to my mum.

“It was an act of betrayal, and his denials in the time since, and particularly during this trial, leave him beneath contempt.

“I thank the jury for their verdict, and the sentence will leave him with plenty of time to reflect on the devastation he has caused – not just to my family, but to his own family too.”

Mr Methven added: “I am also very grateful to local residents and others who knew my mum and know me well.

“They have been a great support throughout this ordeal. My mother was warm, generous and someone who always had time for others around her. I miss her desperately.”

Kean, a father of one, murdered Ms Methven in her cottage in Forteviot, Perthshire, on 20 February.

Judge Lord Glennie sentenced him to life yesterday and ordered him to serve at least 22 years before being eligible for parole.

He told Kean: “You have been convicted of the murder of Jenny Methven.

“The brutality of the murder of which you have been convicted of a kindly, active older lady, who was a relative of one of your friends, means a lengthy sentence must be imposed.”

Lord Glennie thanked the jury and told them the trial must have been “harrowing for them”.

Kean showed no emotion as he was led away.

Prosecutor Alex Prentice, QC, described the murder as “savage and brutal”.

Mr Methven has lost his only living relative, he said. “Her death has left a significant gap in his life.”

Defence QC Brian McConnachie pointed to Kean’s previous good record. “For 26 years he led a law-abiding life,” he said.

But he admitted there was little he could say about the crime, because Kean continued to protest his innocence.

Ms Methven was attacked so violently that bone splinters were embedded in her brain.

She put her hands up to try to protect herself, but Kean’s blows broke both her forearms, the court heard.

Pathologist Dr Helen Brownlow said Ms Methven would have been unconscious after the second blow and would have died within minutes.

Despite this, Kean had continued the assault on his helpless and defenceless victim.

During the attack, he put towels over her face, the court heard.

Before the assault he made her take her glasses off, and then he put them back on after he had finished.

Before leaving, he put the towels back over her face.

Almost seven hours later, Ms Methven was found dead by her son when he returned from work.

Mr Methven had planned to take his mother out for a curry in the village of Dunning that evening.

Instead, he dialled 999 and tried frantically to give her CPR, but she was already dead.

The jury of nine women and six men was played a recording of his 999 call, and heard Mr Methven trying to resuscitate his mother.

Following the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Colin Gall, of Tayside Police, said: “This was a crime that shocked a small rural community and appalled the nation as a whole.