Life for mother who giggled about murdering and mutilating friend

Elizabeth Shields giggled as she told a 999 operator that her victim, a former psychiatric nurse, was lying dead in his home.

A jury was played a tape in which Shields was asked if she wanted the police and told the operator: "No, you need a morgue."

Shields, 33, then laughed and added: "He is pan bread, lying dead."

Minutes later, she phoned her mother and told her: "I've just killed a man."

At the High Court in Glasgow, Shields was convicted of murdering John Cook, 61, at his home in October last year. Sentencing Shields, a mother of one, to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 14 years, temporary judge John Beckett, QC, told her: "You must have struck your victim many times on his face, neck and right arm.

"You used a glass and a mug to strike him. You then sliced his arm while he lay defenceless.

"This was an attack of some ferocity and you took the life of a man. His friends and family are left to deal with their loss."

Prosecutor Alastair Carmichael told the court that Shields had 49 previous convictions at summary level.

Twenty-two were for breach of the peace and three for assault. The court heard that Shields hit Mr Cook in the face and neck with the glass and the mug, causing horrific injuries.

Shields launched the attack in Barrhead after Mr Cook, who had befriended her, ordered her out of his house.

As Mr Cook lay dying, she began cutting one of his wrists with the broken glass.

Eyewitness and friend of Mr Cook's, Raymond Forrest, 48, told the jury that Shields punched Mr Cook nine times, causing him to fall to the ground covered in blood.

Mr Forrest said he and Shields and another man, Graham Laidlaw, had been drinking in Mr Cook's home and an argument developed between Shields and Mr Cook.

Mr Forrest said: "He was hurling abuse and they were arguing."

He told the jury that Shields, who he knew as Liz, struck Mr Cook six times on the torso and three times on the head and he fell to the ground.

Mr Forrest said: "I went over to him and tried to give him CPR. He was covered in blood on his torso and head."

He said he saw Shields go into the kitchen and then go back over to Mr Cook and cut his arm.

Mr Forrest added: "She was just mutilating his arm."

Mr Carmichael asked him if there was any reaction from Mr Cook and he replied: "No. John Cook was already dead."

Throughout her trial, Shields denied murdering Mr Cook.

Defence QC Edgar Prais said that Shields had had a sad life and was sexually abused as a child.

Mr Prais added: "This is a God-awful tragedy for everyone involved."

Shields, who sat crying in the dock as sentence was passed on her, waved to her family as she was led away to the cells.