Two men who raped and murdered a young dad-of-four in Fife have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Cameron Allan and Dylan Brister were sentenced at the High Court in Dundee after each being convicted of the rape and murder of Calum Simpson after a trial in July.
The depraved pair spiked their victim’s drinks, leaving him unconscious, before subjecting him to a sexual assault recorded on a mobile phone.
Judge Lord Harrower jailed both men for life, issuing minimum terms to Brister of 23 years and Allan of 19 years.
Both men were placed on the sex offenders register for the rest of their lives.
One of Mr Simpson’s family members shouted “rot in hell” as the fiends were led away by custody officers.
Twisted rape and murder
Brister, 28, formerly of Herriot Crescent, Methil, and Allan, 21, of Berrylaw Place, Dunfermline, had denied the murder, committed on November 2 and 3 2021.
The couple had been unsuccessfully trying to recruit a “submissive” man to make up a threesome.
Mr Simpson, with a friend, arrived at Brister’s home unaware of their plans and was plied with tablets containing Etizolam in alcoholic drinks before losing consciousness.
The predatory pair bound his wrists with rope and raped him while unconscious.
He died sometime during the attack.
Following the trial, jurors were offered counselling services and excused from further jury service for the rest of their lives.
Video evidence
Lord Harrower said on Friday Mr Simpson’s death caused “terrible devastation” to his loved ones.
The court heard how a man was almost lured to them on dating app Grindr and the judge said: “His narrow escape was Calum Simpson’s misfortune.”
He said : “You drugged him by spiking his drinks with so-called street valium, ten times stronger than Valium and not available on prescription.
“You subjected Mr Simpson to a sustained assault.
“You made several video recordings but managed to delete them.
“When being interviewed, you insisted Mr Simpson had been awake, conscious and consenting throughout.
“You weren’t to know one deleted video, at 2.45am, would be recovered by police.
“When that video was played to the jury, it was obvious that Mr Simpson was profoundly sedated while you were carrying out acts of sexual abuse.
“Rather than seeking medical assistance, you let him lie unconscious.
“When you woke up, he was cold and stiff to touch.
“You knew that Calum Simpson would have been particularly vulnerable.”
The judge continued: “At trial, each of you blamed the other for administering the drugs.
“You were jointly engaged in the plan to ensure that Calum Simpson didn’t get up.
“Whether you will ever be released will be for others to determine.”
The judge noted Brister had previously been detained after being convicted of an assault to severe injury and had assaulted healthcare staff in a hospital before.
Addressing Allan, the judge added: “The difficulty I have with you is even by your own admission, you have told one lie after another – your story seems to change with every telling.”
Killer’s backgrounds outlined
Both Allan and Brister were described as having mental health issues and traumatic backgrounds.
As an infant, Allan’s mother, a police officer, died in a car crash, which he survived.
Brister’s mother died of a drug overdose when he was a teenager.
Brister’s defence advocate Michael Meehan KC said: “The position of Mr Brister reflects his position at trial.
“Mr Brister and his family were known to social work from 2002, Mr Brister was six. In 2009, his mother died from an overdose.”
He said it led to his client abusing drugs “as a coping mechanism” and self-harm.
He has been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder.
Michael Anderson KC, appearing for Allan, said his client had been a victim of child abuse.
“What is obvious is that Cameron Allan is a pretty complex individual.
“I do recognise that there is a great deal of work to be done with Cameron Allan. He recognises that himself, for what it’s worth.”
Mr Anderson described Allan and Brister’s relationship as “not healthy” and “perhaps toxic.”
‘Fun dad’ hugely missed
Tragic Mr Simpson’s partner, childhood sweetheart Bobbie Cowan, was the mother of his three children, including one born just 11 days before his death.
She told The Courier: “He was just a fun dad – he was the jokey one.
“They totally loved him and he was the soft touch. He did a lot of stuff with the kids.
“Calum was the perfect person for the four of us.
“He enjoyed socialising and really stayed the same as he had been – the life and soul.”
The family has also criticised the fact Allan was allowed to be free on bail throughout proceedings.
Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: ”The depraved and predatory actions of Dylan Brister and Cameron Allan have robbed a family of their loving son, father, partner, nephew and grandson.
“They showed a blatant disregard for their victim’s safety and life by spiking his drink with drugs before subjecting him to the most harrowing sexual abuse.
“We have worked hard to deliver justice for Calum Simpson and his family, who continue to deal with the devastation and trauma of losing their loved one.
“The COPFS team used every tool at our disposal to ensure these two men faced the consequences of their despicable actions.
“Our thoughts remain with Calum’s family and friends.”
Other crimes
Allan was convicted at Kirkcaldy of a bizarre offence in which he asked a hotel worker to make a porn video with him – after he had already appeared in court accused of the murder.
The Courier also told how sinister Allan used his Facebook account to make posts about murder in the run-up to his appalling crime.
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