Man jailed for murder of Katy Rourke faces life in prison

A MAN who stabbed his flatmate in the heart after claiming she refused to have sex with him has been jailed for a minimum of 17 years for her murder.

Gary Stevenson murdered Katy Rourke after claiming she refused to have sex with him. Picture: Police Scotland/PA Wire

Gary Stevenson, 27, killed Katy Rourke, 25, at the flat they shared in Govan, Glasgow, on 29 December last year after the pair had been drinking.

He “totally lost control” and repeatedly punched Ms Rourke, originally from Broughty Ferry near Dundee, before getting a kitchen knife and stabbing her three times.

He pleaded guilty to the murder last month and the case had been continued for background reports.

Jailing him for life at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, judge Lady Rae said he should reflect on having “needlessly and brutally” taken Ms Rourke’s life.

During his hearing, the court was told Stevenson had drank half a bottle of Buckfast before he and Ms Rourke shared a bottle of vodka the night she was killed.

Stevenson said they had sex but when Ms Rourke refused to have sex again he attacked her.

He told investigators: “I lost control. I didn’t think about the consequence of my actions. Once it started it just took off.”

• READ MORE: Man admits murdering flatmate after claiming she refused sex

A post-mortem examination revealed a stab wound to Ms Rourke’s chest had gone through her heart. She had also suffered bruising, cuts and blunt force trauma to the head and face.

Stevenson left a note saying he wanted to be cremated and travelled to North Berwick, East Lothian, where he attempted to take his own life, before calling police. He later told officers he needed to face up to what he did and “give Katy’s family justice”.

Lady Rae told Stevenson: “You killed Ms Rourke because she rejected your sexual advances and because she refused to engage in sexual intercourse.

“You were simply, on this occasion, not prepared to take no for an answer and you deliberately killed her.”

First offender Stevenson made a written statement to the court which was read on his behalf by his defence QC Donald Findlay.

In it he described himself as a “pressure cooker” before the murder and said he deserved the “long, dark road ahead”.

He added: “Katy did not deserve to die, she did nothing wrong, she had her whole life in front of her and I robbed her of that.

“I wish I would wake up and Katy was OK but it’s not a dream, it’s a wide awake living nightmare.”

Lady Rae said she noted with “some concern” a social work report had “detected no victim empathy or remorse” on Stevenson’s part.