Scottish man sentenced to life in jail over Kenyan wife's murder

Walter Buchanan, a 66-year-old man from Scotland, has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of his 37-year-old Kenyan wife, Darrel Odhiambo.

According to Sky News, the verdict was delivered by Lord Cubie at the Edinburgh High Court, where Buchanan was found guilty of strangling his wife to death.

“As the law mandates, the sentence for murder is fixed. I must now impose that sentence upon you. You are sentenced to life imprisonment,” Judge Cubie stated in his ruling.

After discovering that Buchanan had been unfaithful, Darrel confronted him about the affair. In response, the Scottish man turned violent, launching a brutal attack on her.

During the assault, he strangled her, restricting her breathing until she died, the court heard.

The tragic incident occurred at their flat near Hamilton Racecourse in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

''The court heard that she sent a message, apparently unhappy that you were out without her; she may have harbored unfair suspicions about with whom and where you were; I emphasise that her actions or words provide no justification, provocation, or explanation for what happened. You returned home, and there was a verbal and then physical confrontation,'' the judge continued.

The judge stated that the pressure applied to her neck resulted in a brain injury, bruising, and a rib fracture on February 18, 2023.

The couple had been married for six years, and although the accused initially denied the charges, a jury convicted him of murder in January 2024.

Buchanan claimed that he believed she had simply fallen asleep, only to find her cold body later.

He contacted the police, performed CPR as instructed, and subsequently told officers that she had choked.

He later changed his story, claiming that she had been drinking and fell down the stairs.

However, the post-mortem report revealed multiple injuries and confirmed that manual strangulation and smothering were the causes of death.

The jury concluded that at the time of the incident, the Scottish man either intended to kill her or acted with such extreme recklessness that it amounted to murder.

Buchanan's actions left their son without a mother and caused significant distress to Darrel’s mother and sisters, who expressed their anger in court.

"You have deprived your wife’s mother, sisters, and extended family of her presence. I have read the victim impact statements, which detail the deep loss they now face, and you have left her son, Jimmy, without a mother," the judge remarked.

Although Buchanan was sentenced to life imprisonment, he has the opportunity to apply for parole, as the judge determined that he showed remorse for his actions.

However, he must serve at least 15 years before being eligible for parole.

"I take into account your age and your previous contributions to society. I believe that the appropriate minimum sentence for you should be 15 years," the judge concluded.