Husband’s knife frenzy
A MAN stabbed his wife more than 70 times in a feverish attack after wrongly believing he was not the father of their children.
Lecturer Robert Kerr attacked Xin Xin Liu at their home in the upmarket suburb of Newton Mearns, near Glasgow.
The 39-year-old struck as his two sons slept upstairs – and went on to make himself a hot drink while Xin Xin, also 39, lay dead.
A judge heard how the mum suffered more than 70 wounds during the horrific killing in April this year.
Kerr faced a murder allegation as he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow.
But, prosecutors instead accepted his guilty plea to the reduced plea of culpable homicide on the grounds of his diminished responsibility.
It had been concluded Kerr was suffering from “an abnormality of the mind” at the time of the attack.
The first offender will return to the dock in November.
A group of Xin Xin’s relatives were in court. Some wept as the grim details of her death were revealed.
The mum had moved to Scotland from China around 15 years ago to study law at Aberdeen University.
It was there she met Kerr, who was doing a computer course. They married in 2003.
Kerr was latterly a lecturer at West College Scotland in Paisley while Xin Xin was training to be a translator.
They were described as a “quiet and private couple” with family not aware of any problems.
But, in early April this year – weeks before the killing – Kerr had contacted his GP complaining of stress in respect of “work and personal issues”.
He added he was suffering from anxiety, insomnia and spoke about “paranoid feelings”.
However – just four days prior to the attack – Kerr spoke to a nurse and said he had been feeling much better. It changed on April 26 when Kerr, wearing a dressing gown, fatally attacked Xin Xin as their children slept.
Just before midnight, he then dialled 999 and admitted: “I have just killed my wife.”
He went on to state there was “blood all over the place”.
Police discovered Xin Xin lying on the kitchen floor with a knife still in her body.
After being held, Kerr then told officers: “I found out tonight they were not mine.”
Prosecutor Jane Farquharson said he had “suspicions” that a friend was the father of his children.
A paternity test confirmed Kerr was the biological father.
A number of blood-stained items were found at the couple’s house.
The advocate depute said: “Kerr has since admitted he made himself a hot drink after this incident.”
A post mortem later revealed Xin Xin had suffered approximately 76 wounds.
The court heard that Kerr has since been receiving treatment at the State Hospital at Carstairs.
One doctor concluded that his “ability to control his conduct” that night was “substantially impaired by reason of abnormality of mind”.
He was said to be suffering from a “delusional disorder”.
Judge Lord Boyd imposed an interim compulsion order for him remain at Carstairs.
The case was adjourned until November.