A prospective St Andrews University student was knifed to death by his uncle.
Erlend Fraser left William Fraser with 20 stab wounds in the devastating attack on Orkney in spring 2022.
Fraser, 50, had faced a murder charge at the High Court in Glasgow but prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The court heard how 21-year-old William had been talented at computing and had been accepted to study at St Andrew’s University.
He ended up not going and later started as an IT technician with the local council in Orkney but lost the job due to the pandemic.
The court heard he had had “got on well” with his uncle, having a shared interest in films and online games.
The night of the killing
William had been with friends before ending up at his uncle’s door in St Margaret’s Hope on the night of the killing, June 19 2022.
The exact details of what then happened are not known but prosecutor Alan Mackay said the killer texted his father at around 7am asking him to come to his home.
Mr Mackay said: “At that stage, he told his father that he had stabbed William Fraser.”
His sister and her partner arrived at the bloody flat.
The advocate depute said: “She had never seen him so excited before.
“They followed him into the living room and noticed the blood on the two sofas and on the floor.
“They asked where William was and he said in the toilet.
“He was in the toilet, his legs were bent at the knee, he was on his back and he was dead.
“Fraser was pacing around the house and was heard to say ‘piece of s**t’.”
He later asked police “what he was looking at” for the killing.
Stabbed in heart
The court heard the younger man had suffered 20 stab wounds on the front of his neck, chest, back and left arm.
The most significant punctured his heart.
Fraser later told doctors William had turned up at his home and he had let him in fearing he might disturb his neighbours.
He claimed his nephew had been “aggressive” and he reacted to the violence.
The hearing was told Erlend Fraser had a “form of learning disability” since birth, leading to an abnormality of the mind at the time.
‘Part of us has died’
Mr Mackay said William’s parents and sisters had penned and emotional victim impact statement detailing how they had been affected.
This included them stating: “William’s tragic passing has left all of us in fear of the future and struggling.
“We all feel part of us has died and struggle to find solace in the things we used to enjoy.”
They also had to have a fundraiser for William’s headstone.
Lord Matthews imposed an interim compulsion order for Fraser to remain at the State Hospital at Carstairs for treatment.
The case will call again in October.
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