A 23-year-old Fife man has been jailed for 24 years after admitting raping and murdering Aberdeen mum Jill Barclay.
The 47-year-old was still alive when evil Rhys Bennett set her on fire to hide in an attempt to cover up his crimes.
Bennett, who grew up in Brechin and studied horticulture at Dundee and Angus College, pled guilty to a single charge of assault, rape and murder.
He also admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice by using a jerry can of petrol from his works van to set fire to the mother-of-two to cover up his crimes.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.
The murder came when Bennett followed her after she had enjoyed a night out with friends at an Adam Ant concert in Aberdeen.
The proposals engineer, who worked for the energy firm Petrofac, was described by her family as a “deeply-loved” partner, daughter and mother to a six-year-old and an eight-year-old.
On Wednesday at the High Court in Edinburgh, Bennett’s defence entered guilty pleas to both charges.
He admitted assaulting the former Hazlehead Academy pupil by repeatedly striking, kicking and stamping on her head and body on September 17 last year at Farburn Gatehouse, Victoria Street, Dyce.
Bennett struck Ms Barclay’s head against a downpipe and inflicted blunt and sharp force trauma to her head and body.
Bennett also admitted dragging his victim along the ground, compressing her neck, placing clothing and other items underneath her body as she lay on the ground, pouring petrol on her and the clothing and setting fire to her.
He admitted burning clothes he had worn at the time of his horrifying acts, fleeing the scene and washing some other items of his clothing.
This was done to “conceal and destroy evidence linking” himself to the crimes “to avoid detection, arrest and prosecution,” the indictment stated.
Her body was so badly damaged, her partner could only identify her by her distinctive tattoos.
He was arrested in Fife during a police raid on his home in Ballingry.
Bennett, a fencer by trade, was born in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and later moved to Angus, where he went to school at Brechin High School.
Lord Arthurson sentenced Bennett to a minimum of 24 years before being able to apply for parole for the murder and a concurrent four-year sentence for attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
He acknowledged the murderer has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder but told him “your ability to appreciate the nature or wrongfulness of what you did was unimpaired”.
Pointing out Bennett had burned Ms Barclay alive, he said he had launched a “murderous attack upon her, an attack which… plainly involved extreme, sustained and frankly feral violence inflicted by you upon her.”
Followed from pub
The court heard Ms Barclay came into contact with Bennett in the Spider’s Web pub, where both were drinking independently, when they went outside for a cigarette.
Prosecutor Lorraine Glancy KC CCTV captured him following her down the street after she left the pub.
Ms Glancy said: “Jill Barclay is apparently unaware that she is being followed by the accused at this point. at one point when Jill Barclay follows a bend in the road, the accused can be seen quickening his pace, running, presumably in an effort to catch up with her unnoticed.”
Ms Glancy said later footage shows her still being followed.
“The footage is quite chilling. It shows Jill Barclay is wary of being too close to the accused.
“Having attempted on several occasions to distance herself from him, she is clearly very anxious, scared even, about the accused’s behaviour.”
A dog walker heard “a high pitched scream by a female voice followed by her shouting, ‘no, no, no’,” and residents nearby also heard screams.
Ms Glancy said that at 3.10am, CCTV captured a “very large, almost explosive fire ignite at the locus.”
At 12.45pm on September 17, Jill’s partner Leon Grant reported her missing.
Family devastation
The judge went on: “Jill Barclay was a 47 year old lady, beloved by her partner of 20 years, her two young children, aged 6 and 8 and her mother.
“She lived a full and active life.
“By way of your criminal behaviour in this case, you took away her future and the hopes and dreams of her wider family.
“Their lives will never be the same.
“I have read most moving and articulate impact statements prepared by Ms Barclay’s partner, her elder child and by her mother and aunt.
“Nothing that this court can do, or I can say today, will ever compensate this family for their loss, and I fully understand that no sentence of the court could perhaps ever be sufficient in their eyes.”
Family statement
In a statement after the hearing, Ms Barclay’s family said: “We would like to thank the family, friends and community for their comfort and support following Jill’s tragic death as we have waited for justice.
“Jill was a deeply loved partner, mother and daughter.
“She didn’t deserve to die that day and especially in the unspeakable, brutal way it happened.
“This man has taken too much from us and changed our lives forever.”
Police thanks to community
The officer who led the inquiry, Detective Superintendent Andrew Patrick said: “I hope that today’s sentencing brings some comfort to Jill’s family and friends who have shown immense strength throughout this investigation.
“Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.
“Jill’s senseless and brutal murder had a significant impact on the local community in Dyce and throughout the North East.
“I would like to thank the public for their support throughout the investigation to bring Bennett to justice.
“This was a particularly harrowing investigation and it deeply affected everyone involved.
“I am glad that Bennett will now face the consequences of his depraved and wicked actions.
“Thankfully crimes like these are extremely rare in our communities.
“When such incidents take place we will use all resources necessary to carry out thorough, rigorous inquiries to ensure we track down those responsible to bring them to justice as swiftly as possible.”
‘Weird and different young man’
Defence advocate Iain McSporran KC told the court: “Rhys Bennett asked me to express not only his apology for the terrible harm that he has done…but he asks that we can confirm to the court his intention to continue the work he’s already started in prison with the psychological and psychiatric services – in trying to work out what happened – why he did what he did and what can be done to ensure that it could never happen again.”
Mr McSporran told the judge his client’s “consistent position” is “he has no recollection of what happened or why”.
He added: “He fully understands and accepts what he has done.
“The only thing he could then do to make this better even in the smallest amount was to admit his guilt, to accept the consequence, and to prevent further agonising delay for the family and to accept the punishment and that is precisely what he has done.”
Referring to his client as a “weird and different young man”, Mr McSporran said his client “doesn’t know why he has committed this atrocity”.
He accepted that there is no sentence that can reflect the “lifetime punishment” Ms Barclay’s family will be suffering.
‘Senseless and brutal crime’
David Green, lead homicide prosecutor for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “Rhys Bennett raped and murdered a woman who was simply walking home after a night out through streets she knew well.
“Jill Barclay should have arrived home safely to her partner and children.
“This senseless and brutal crime has devastated a family and shocked the wider community.
“While we welcome today’s sentence as justice being served, we are acutely aware that no sentence can ever adequately reflect the suffering of Jill Barclay’s loved ones.
“Our thoughts remain with them.”
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