Paige killer’s twin jailed after baby bloodbath
Fiend battered new bride as she held baby in her arms
BY RORY CASSIDY A NOTORIOUS killer’s sex beast twin brother was caged yesterday for battering his wife as she held a baby in her arms.
The brutal attack by George Leathem – whose twin John was jailed for life for murdering teenager Paige Doherty – left new bride Amie and the child covered in blood.
BY RORY CASSIDY THE twin brother of teenager Paige Doherty’s killer was jailed yesterday for a savage attack on his pregnant wife – while she was holding a baby.
Convicted sex offender George Leathem, whose twin John was caged for life for butchering Paige, attacked newlywed Amie Leathem two months into her pregnancy.
The 35-year-old lashed out after his wife returned home from work and found him drunk and trying to bottlefeed the baby.
She took the child, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, away from him and fed the tot herself, before placing the youngster in a high chair.
Angry Leathem then lashed out at Amie, attacking her on the stairs of their home in Erskine, Renfrewshire.
She phoned 999 after the initial attack but Leathem then battered her in the kitchen while she was holding the tot.
The second part of the attack – which took place while police were already on their way to arrest Leathem – left him, his wife, their home and the baby covered in blood.
The details emerged yesterday when Leathem was jailed for nine months at Paisley Sheriff Court.
He had been due to go on trial over the incident, which took place in August while he was looking after a six-month-old baby.
Instead, he pled guilty to assaulting his wife and behaving in a threatening or abusive way towards the police officers who went to arrest him.
A charge of threatening Amie, banging on the door of the property and demanding entry was dropped.
Prosecutor Maureen McGovern told the court: “The accused and the
lady have been together for four years and have been one year married. The lady is pregnant.
“She came home from work at 5.45pm to discover the accused heavily under the influence of alcohol, sitting on the couch, attempting to bottlefeed the baby.
“She saw he was unable to do this because he was so intoxicated and removed the child from him and fed her by herself.” Amie went outside to have a cigarette and her husband followed her but was so drunk he was “stumbling and falling” She put him back in the house and locked the door but angry Leathem grabbed hold of her hair tightly and pulled it, causing her to fall on to the stairs. Miss McGovern added: “He punched her several times on the back. “She took the decision to make herself limp, believing that would be the best way for him to loose his grip – and that worked. “She ran to the living room and grabbed the child and her phone and immediately phoned 999.” McGovern told how raging Leathem then demanded the house keys from his wife so he could
escape. The prosecutor continued: “He punched her directly in the face, causing her nose to burst and bleed heavily.
“Blood went everywhere – sadly, not only on her but also on the young child and the accused.
“She recoiled in horror and attempted to shield the child as he continued to assault her by punching her several times to her head and neck.”
Amie managed to give him the keys and he left the house, with her locking him out.
Police found him at the back door of the property when they arrived – after spotting “blood staining on the walls and floors in the kitchen”
Leathem told officers he had “done f*** all” and was arrested. He went on to hurl homophobic insults and threats of violence at them.
He told one: “I’ll f ****** end you, ya f ****** p**f. Get that c**k out your mouth. I’ve ended better than you.”
McGovern said Amie had initially wanted her husband to be banned from approaching or contacting her.
The prosecutor added: “She’s clearly had a change of heart, despite what’s happened. She only wants the accused to get help with his alcohol.”
Sheriff David Pender had been asked to adjourn sentencing for next month for background reports to be prepared.
But after hearing that the thug had been working in a whisky bond, had switched jobs because of his alcohol problems, was already on a community payback order and subject to a deferred sentence in other cases, the judge rejected the request.
Jailing Leathem, Sheriff Pender said: “This is an appalling offence. To do this to your wife while she is pregnant defies belief as far as I’m concerned.”
In December 2016, Leathem was jailed for 18 months. He armed himself with a knife and two batons hours before his brother John appeared in court over 15-year-old Paige’s murder.
Then 32, he was caught with the same type of deadly weapon his sibling used to inflict 146 knife wounds on the schoolgirl as he killed her.
He claimed he armed himself with the weapons as he feared reprisals over his brother’s slaying of Paige, which saw him caged for life.
Officers caught George Leathem, who dragged a woman off a street and sexually assaulted her in bushes in 2003, with the weapons at a service station in Dunbartonshire on March 31, 2016.
The following day, his twin made his second court appearance over
Paige’s death. John Leathem, who is known as Johnny, stabbed Paige 61 times, leaving her with 146 knife wounds, during a fit of rage at his deli in Clydebank in March 2016.
His lawyer, Iain Duguid, told the High Court in Glasgow Leathem claimed the killing was a “spontaneous, gross overreaction” after he refused Paige a job and she said: “I will just say you touched me.”
The QC said it hit a nerve because of his brother’sconviction and“difficulties” he’d had as a result of being on the Sex Offenders’ Register.