Man who left body to watch Champions League final jailed

A KILLER who left his victim in his living while he watched the Champions League final on TV has been sentenced to a minimum of 16 years.

Norman Fraser, 58, murdered Michelle McCue at his home in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, in May this year.

He later visited a friend and told him: “She’s dead. If it wasn’t for the Champions League, I would report it.”

Fraser was arrested 48 hours after the killing. He was discovered sitting in a chair, smoking a cigarette as Miss McCue’s badly beaten corpse still lay beside him.

Fraser, nicknamed Fuzz by friends, denied a murder charge, claiming the 46-year-old had fallen after a struggle. But, a jury convicted him following a week-long trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Sentencing today, Judge Lady Stacey gave Fraser a life sentence and said he would serve a minimum of 16 years.

She said: “You have taken the life of another person and nothing that I can say can reduce the grief and pain that Mrs McCue’s family suffer.”

The trial heard how Miss McCue, from Slamannan in Falkirk, had gone to meet a friend at Fraser’s home on 27 May.

Miss McCue was eventually alone with Fraser, who later attacked her.

In his speech to the jury, prosecutor Douglas Fairley said she was subjected to a “violent and prolonged attack” including hitting her with a mop handle.