Steven Mathieson

On 4 December 2014, Steven Mathieson, a 38-year-old car salesman from Falkirk, committed a series of horrific crimes at his home on Springfield Drive. After a seemingly normal day spent with his family, including a meal out with his children, Mathieson, under the influence of cocaine, telephoned for an escort. The victim, 23-year-old Romanian national Luciana Maurer, arrived at the house where Mathieson's young son was asleep upstairs.

Mathieson stabbed Ms Maurer a total of 44 times, killing her in an upstairs bedroom. He then texted 'sorry' to his partner of 10 years before summoning two more escorts, aged 22 and 26. Upon their arrival, they discovered Ms Maurer's body on the bed. Mathieson blocked the doorway, armed himself with two knives, forced the women to strip naked and surrender their mobile phones. He raped both women in the bedroom beside the corpse and again downstairs in the living room, telling them, 'I've done this to show my wife something.'

The women escaped naked when Mathieson briefly turned away, despite him striking one on the leg with a knife. Mathieson then called 999, admitting to police, 'I've been high on drugs and I've killed a prostitute.' Officers arrived to find him on his knees in the living room, holding his hands out for arrest.

At the High Court in Livingston, Mathieson admitted charges of murder and rape. Defence advocate Donald Findlay QC described him as a 'slightly boring man' with a 'slightly boring life' who was 'not in his right mind' due to cocaine, calling the events 'one of the most extraordinary cases' he had encountered. Judge Lord Bannatyne sentenced Mathieson to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years, stating the crimes were 'truly dreadful' and 'wholly depraved', dismissing cocaine use as mitigation. Mathieson's name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Det Insp David Pinkney of Police Scotland's major investigation team commended the bravery of the survivors and Ms Maurer's family, noting the sentence provided some closure for the devastated victims and community. The case, reported by BBC News on 2 April 2015, highlighted the brutal impact of Mathieson's actions while his family remained unaware nearby.