IN PUBLIC, CHRISTOPHER HARRISSON WAS A CHARMING, INTELLECTUAL GENTLEMAN, BUT HIS WIFE WAS PRIVY TO A MUCH DARKER MAN: A MURDEROUSLY VIOLENT BULLY
WHAT Murder
WHERE Aberdeen, Scotland
WHEN July, 1978
BACKGROUND
Brenda Page had had an exciting future ahead of her. Having obtained a first-class honours Bachelor of Science degree from University College London and a PhD in genetics from the University of Glasgow, she had been appointed head of the Genetics Department at the Medical School in Aberdeen. Her love life had seemingly been equally successful and, in 1972, she married her brilliant and dashing boyfriend, Christopher Harrisson.
It appeared to be a match made in heaven, since Harrisson was intellectually on par with his new wife, ultimately tutoring and taking a career path in scientific research. But looks can be deceiving and, unbeknownst to the outside world, Dr Page’s private life was fraught with danger. Those very close to Brenda soon spotted signs of her unhappiness. She appeared nervous around her husband, acting as if a bomb could detonate at any moment, flinching at any sudden movements and perpetually on high alert. Her sister, Rita Ling, was the first to notice the problem and it wasn’t long before Brenda confirmed that she was being abused. Harrisson, she confided, could be a wonderful husband but was, more often than not, a violent bully, leaving her perpetually intimidated and threatened. The situation quickly became untenable and the pair separated after four years of marriage. By 1977, they were divorced, but Harrisson continued his reign of terror, stalking his ex-wife and menacing her at every available opportunity. Her solicitor dutifully collated the depressingly long list of terrorising behaviour that often culminated in hospitalisation. Brenda openly acknowledged that she was afraid of him (she even wrote, “If I do depart this earth rather suddenly, do please make sure I get a good PM [post-mortem]”) but was determined to make a success of her life. However, despite her brilliant scientific career, she often found herself short of money and decided to pursue a second income as a private escort.
THE MURDER
When Brenda failed to turn up for work at the university on 14 July 1978, her concerned colleagues asked her neighbour, Ms Gordon, to check up on her. It was a deeply distressing crime scene for her to walk in on. Dr Brenda Page had been savagely attacked, bludgeoned to death, receiving more than 20 lacerations to her face and head. A post-mortem confirmed that she had suffered a prolonged and brutal assault.
The fact that she had spent the evening before her murder working as an esco
