Man jailed for life after brutal murder of Amanda McAlear
63-year-old John Higgins said he 'saw red' after arguing with his partner of four years
A man who murdered his partner after returning home from watching the football has been jailed for life.
John Higgins admitted fatally attacking Amanda McAlear at her home in Glasgow on May 7, 2022.
The 64-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of murder at the High Court in Glasgow on July 31, 2024, at the start of the trial against him.
The court heard how Higgins had attended a football match before going drinking in two pubs.
He left the last bar at 5.20pm and was taken to Amanda’s house by taxi.
Unplugged television
During the course of the journey, Higgins said he was looking forward to ordering an Indian meal and watching football on television.
Meanwhile, 50-year-old Amanda was visiting her elderly mother who lived near her Barmulloch home.
She received a call from her son at 6.48pm asking her to keep his dog, which she had been looking after, for an extra day.
This was the last time anyone had contact with Amanda before she died.
Higgins was caught on CCTV leaving his partner’s home at 9.46pm.
He then attended at the home of relatives and told how he had been arguing with Amanda.
The killer said that the mother-of-one had been unplugging the television whilst he had been trying to watch.
Higgins went on to say he had “seen red” and he thoughts things had “went too far” but never mentioned that Amanda had been injured or that she might need medical attention.
After spending the night at his relative’s, Higgins said “you know that way when you wake up and reality hits you” before asking a family member to get details for a solicitor.
Compression to the neck
At 12pm on Sunday, May 8, Amanda’s son arrived at her home to pick up his dog.
When no one answered the door, he let himself in using a set of keys he kept before finding his mother’s body in the kitchen.
He immediately dialled 999 and called for an ambulance but Amanda was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.15pm.
A post-mortem examination discovered that she had suffered many injuries including a fractured rib, a displaced tooth and soft tissue damage to her neck.
Her primary cause of death was determined to be compression of the neck.
During a forensic examination, Higgins was found to have bruising to pinkie finger on his right hand, the inner side of his upper arm and a 3cm scratch to his chest.
The couple had been together for four years.
On September 25, Higgins was jailed for a minimum of 19 years at the High Court in Glasgow.
'Cruel and callous'
Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said:
“John Higgins violently attacked Amanda in her own home where she should have been safe. Instead of calling for help, he left the house leaving his partner on the kitchen floor.
“His cruel and callous actions have robbed a family of their loving mum, daughter, sister, aunt and grandmother.
“Adding to their unimaginable devastation, Amanda never got to meet her youngest grandchild and missed out on her son’s wedding.
“Higgins will now face the consequences of his wicked actions by serving a life sentence.
“Our thoughts remain with Amanda’s friends and family, who have waited patiently for justice to be served.”