Abusive ex murdered woman in Scottish Borders after she began new relationship

A domestic abuser has admitted murdering his ex-partner and said he "intended to cut off her head" after learning she was in a new relationship.

Warning: This article contains details readers may find upsetting.

Lee Inglis, 39, killed mother-of-three Stacey Hogg, 35, by striking her repeatedly with a kitchen knife at her home in Hawick in the Scottish Borders on 25 June this year.

Ms Hogg was said to have suffered "catastrophic" injuries in the violent attack, with her killer later stating she was his "possession" and if he "could not have her, no one could".

Inglis pleaded guilty to the murder at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday.

The court heard the couple had a "turbulent" relationship.

They separated in November 2024 after Inglis assaulted Ms Hogg with a knife the previous month, for which he was later convicted and handed a community payback order and restriction of liberty order, which was still in place at the time of the murder.

Prosecutor Leanne Cross KC said Inglis made threats towards Ms Hogg should she become involved with anyone else.

The court heard she began a new relationship in the months before her death and told Inglis on 24 June this year that she was seeing someone else.

Ms Cross said Inglis became "abusive and threatening" via text, warning "you shouldn't have told me Stacey" and "you know what's coming".

Ms Hogg was said to have been scared and went to her mother's home to wait until Inglis' curfew began at 7pm.

She then returned to her own home and later went to bed.

At 7.01am on 25 June, a Ring doorbell captured Inglis heading in the direction of Ms Hogg's home, carrying a backpack, and he was captured on CCTV arriving there at 7.04am.

Ms Cross told the court Inglis entered the house through the backdoor and that it is likely his victim came downstairs from her bedroom at around 7.06am where she encountered the accused and ended up in the bathroom.

The prosecutor said: "Once in the bathroom, the accused then struck her repeatedly to the neck area with a kitchen knife.

"Numerous defensive injuries suggest that she struggled with the accused, but the injuries to her neck were catastrophic.

"At 7.11am, the deceased managed to make a 999 call. In it she can be heard screaming, and she is heard to shout 'my kids' before the call dropped."

Ms Cross said Inglis, who lived with his parents, returned home where he told his mother "phone the police because I have just killed Stacey".

She immediately did so, after noticing his clothing was bloodstained and that there was a blooded knife on the kitchen counter.

A police officer went to Ms Hogg's home and found her lying face down in a large pool of blood with no obvious signs of life.

She began CPR and was joined by other officers, who helped until paramedics arrived, but Ms Hogg was pronounced dead at 7.56am.

Inglis, a part-time groundsman, was arrested by officers and a full psychiatric assessment was carried out that day.

Ms Cross said: "He said that he had been triggered by the deceased's disclosure of a new partner.

"He said that he had intended to cut off her head but had found this too difficult and that whilst his actions were premediated, he had not intended for it to be that day or to be so rushed.

"He confirmed that the deceased was his possession and said that if he could not have her, no one could."

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The examining forensic psychiatrist described the accused as having a personality disorder but he was fit to be detained and attend court.

A post-mortem examination found the injuries to Ms Hogg's neck were unsurvivable and the "wound complex" was created by "numerous slash-type wounds".

The court heard Inglis also had two convictions from December 2021 which related to Ms Hogg, as well as other convictions for assaults.

Lord Ewing deferred sentence until 5 November pending a criminal justice social work report.

He told Inglis: "There is only one sentence that can be imposed for murder, that of life imprisonment."

(c) Sky News 2026: Abusive ex murdered woman in Scottish Borders after she began new relationship