Sheila Garvie

Case information

Sheila Garvie was convicted of the murder of her husband, Maxwell Garvie.

STATUS

Sheila Garvie was sentenced to life in prison on December 2, 1968. She was released in 1978.

Background

Maxwell Garvie lived at West Cairnbeg Farm, Kincardineshire, Scotland, with his wife Sheila Garvie and their three children. The couple had married in 1955 and by 1964 had two daughters and a son. In 1967 Sheila Garvie met 22-year-old Brian Tevendale, who started to help around the farm at weekends.

Maxwell Garvie became interested in pornography and nudism and helped found a nudist club in the grounds of their farm. Sheila Garvie complained that her husband's sexual demands were "abnormal."

Brian Tevendale introduced his sister Trudy Birse to the Garvies, and they made up a regular sexual foursome. Trudy Birse was married to a policeman in Aberdeen, and the arrangement stirred local gossip. Sheila Garvie was also described as involved in intimacy with Brian Tevendale.

In March 1968 Sheila ran away with Tevendale to Bradford. Her husband went after her and persuaded her to return. Later Sheila admitted to her mother, Mrs Watson, that Maxwell Garvie was dead and hinted that Tevendale was responsible for his disappearance. Mrs Watson went to the police and recounted the story.

The offence

On the night of May 14, 1968, Maxwell Garvie was asleep in his farmhouse. Sheila opened the door to Brian Tevendale and led him to her husband’s bed. Sheila handed Tevendale a .22 rifle belonging to Maxwell.

Verbatim account of the killing:

Max Garvie pushed his naked/ shivering wife through the bedroom door. At last/ he had broken her will. She stayed with the young man till morning.

During the killing, Tevendale smashed Maxwell Garvie’s skull with the butt and then placed a pillow over the man’s face and shot him once in the head. Sheila watched from the bedroom doorway.

After the killing, the three went downstairs, drank a whole bottle of whisky, wrapped Maxwell Garvie’s corpse in a blanket, put it in the boot of Alan Peters’ car, and took it to Lauriston Castle drains.

Maxwell Garvie was later found in an underground drain at Lauriston Castle near St Cyrus. He had been bludgeoned and shot in the head.

Investigation

Maxwell Garvie was reported missing by his sister, Hilda Kerr. The last time he had been seen was about 10pm on May 14 at a Scottish Nationalist Party meeting at Stonehaven. Garvie’s car had turned up parked across the runway at the flying club at Fordoun. Woods were searched and wells were drained but no sign of the missing man could be found.

Sheila Garvie ultimately admitted to her mother, Mrs Watson, that Maxwell Garvie was dead and hinted that Tevendale was responsible for his disappearance.

Arrest

Sheila Garvie and Brian Tevendale were arrested on August 16, 1968. Alan Peters, a close friend of Tevendale, was also arrested. The next day, Maxwell Garvie’s body was found in an underground drain at Lauriston Castle near St Cyrus.

Trial

At their trial at Aberdeen in November 1968, a story emerged that Maxwell Garvie and Trudy Birse were lovers and that Trudy Birse apparently did not object strongly to his preferences. The trial also involved evidence of intimacy between Sheila Garvie and Brian Tevendale.

Alan Peters told of how Tevendale had shot Garvie in bed and how they had disposed of the body. The prosecution claimed Sheila and Brian had plotted the murder. Sheila and Brian blamed each other: Sheila claimed she woke in the middle of the night to discover Tevendale and Peters had murdered Maxwell, while Tevendale said the killing was Sheila’s idea and he had gone along with it out of infatuation.

At court, a jury was said to have seen the victim’s yellowed skull as major evidence, and one juror fainted. The trial included scenes with queues forming from 2.45am to hear the final day of the trial.

Verdicts:

• The jury found the case against Alan Peters not proven.
• Brian Tevendale was found guilty of murder unanimously.
• Sheila Garvie was found guilty of murder by a majority verdict.

Sentencing

They were sentenced to life in prison, and Sheila received a life sentence along with Brian Tevendale. Capital punishment had been repealed. Sheila was sentenced to life in prison on December 2, 1968.

Sheila wrote a letter to Tevendale in Perth Prison:

"I have decided to have nothing more to do with you ever again."

Appeals

No appeals were included in the provided facts.

Outcome

• Alan Peters: not proven.
• Brian Tevendale: guilty of murder; sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Sheila Garvie: guilty of murder by a majority verdict; sentenced to life imprisonment.

They were released in 1978.

Aftermath

Brian Tevendale became the landlord of a village pub in Perthshire. He died in 2003.

Alan Peters died in January 2007.

Sheila Garvie led a steady, respectable existence after her release from prison. She ran a B&B in Stonehaven. She also ran her aunt’s guest house in Aberdeen. She married twice after prison (she was divorced once and then widowed) and later married Charles Mitchell, described as a drilling engineer, with whom she lived until his death 11 years before the latest account provided.

Brian Tevendale was also described as having worked as a bearded mechanic and later being brought up in the Bush Hotel near St Cyrus, attending Montrose Academy, then wireless college in Aberdeen. His father was Major Lewis Tevendale, a former policeman who won the DCM for heroism in the Second World War. Tevendale was brought up near St Cyrus and joined the army, with a short career after he went absent without leave and borrowed a car with another recruit in the medical corps.

Trudy Birse was married to a policeman in Aberdeen (named in the later account as Fred Birse). It was stated that Trudy Birse became Maxwell Garvie’s mistress and that stories emerged of sex games at a rural hideaway called "kinky cottage".

Verbatim statement attributed to Tevendale:

"borrowed'' a car with another recruit who was in the medical corps.

Sheila Garvie was described as declaring her love for Tevendale when in court, and there was a statement that even after conviction it was reported that the pair planned to seek permission to marry in prison. It was also stated that the two never met again.