Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Crown Office

1 September 2009

HMA v John Wilson and Lisa Brown

On 1st September 2009 at the High Court in Glasgow Lisa Brown was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her mother Anne Brown. She was ordered to serve a punishment part of 20 years, during which she will not be eligible to apply for release. John Wilson had been convicted of culpable homicide and was sentenced to a total 12 years for his part in the killing.

Speaking after the accused were sentenced, Geri Watt, Area Procurator Fiscal for Ayrshire, said:

"It was very important that the perpetrators of this horrific killing were brought to justice. The life sentence imposed on Lisa Brown reflects the seriousness of her crimes.

"Although there were no eye witnesses to the crime and both accused continually denied responsibility, the painstaking investigation and close working by police, forenstic scientists and prosecutors ensured that the accused were brought to justice.

"I hope that those close to Anne Brown, who were most affected by this terrible crime, are now able to rebuild their lives."

Notes for Editors

1. On 31 July 2009 Lisa Brown was convicted of the murder of her mother Anne Brown and John Wilson was convicted of culpable homicide. They were both also convicted of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

2. On 22 October 2008 Anne Brown, a 51 year old health visitor, was reported missing by her mother. This started a missing persons enquiry.

3. Her car was discovered on the Neilston to Dunlop road, near to Craignaught Farm. A search of the area, which involved helicopters and heat seeking equipment, resulted in her body being found in a nearby burn. It was wrapped in bags and twine.

3. Both accused were detained and subsequently charged by police on 31 October 2008.

4. The police investigation included the examination of computers and mobile phones and wide range of modern forensic science, and computer software and photographic techniques. Officers interviewed hundreds of witnesses as part of the investigation, employed trained sniffer dogs, carried out test purchases, and comparative audio analysis.

5. A designated Senior Advocate Depute became involved at the start of the Procurator Fiscal's investigation and was able to take a degree of personal ownership of the case and direct aspects of the investigation. He worked closely with staff from the Kilmarnock Procurator Fiscal's office and ultimately prosecuted the case in court. In order to present the evidence as effectively as possible to the jury, he used emerging courtroom technology and a multimedia presentation, comprising interactive visual image display, audio, video recordings and graphics.

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