On 9th January 2008, economics tutor Clayton Weatherston (31) turned up at the home of his ex-girlfriend Sophie Elliott (22) in Dunedin, New Zealand. After recently ending her six-month relationship with Weatherston, Sophie was in the process of packing for her move to Wellington, where she was relocating for a new job. Sophie’s mother, Lesley, answered the door and allowed Weatherston inside after he claimed to be delivering a ‘parting gift’. However, his visit quickly turned nasty.
Lesley Elliott recalled suddenly hearing bloodcurdling screams coming from her daughter’s bedroom and immediately she “tore upstairs”, initially believing her daughter was being raped.