Beloved mother bludgeoned to death by partner banned from seeing her | UK | News
An Aberdeen man has admitted killing his partner by attacking her with a hammer while she was subject to a court order banning him from going near her. Joseph Greer, 39, pleaded guilty to murder and the previous assault at Glasgow High Court on Friday, June 26, and will be sentenced at Dundee High Court on Friday, August 7. The body of 54-year-old Samantha Lee was found at her home on Bedford Road on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
The court heard Greer was already under strict conditions at the time of the murder, including an order banning him from approaching Lee and an electronic monitoring tag as part of bail and curfew arrangements. Judge Lord Renucci said: “You have confessed to the most appalling crimes – as cowardly as they are despicable.”
Lee’s body was discovered after a friend of Greer’s visited him on Bedford Road. BBC reports.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Greer told the visitor, then said, “Samantha is dead. She’s in the kitchen.”
The person later found the body. The court heard Lee suffered multiple blunt force injuries, including fractures to his head.
Greer left the scene and no weapon was found, but it was stated in court that he had previously told a friend that he had a claw hammer. He was later arrested elsewhere in Aberdeen. Forensic evidence later linked him to the murder.
Prosecutor Graeme Jessop KC said the exact time of the attack was unknown.
Lee had contacted a friend on December 31 and said he was afraid Greer was “going to kill him.” She was last seen on security camera footage from a local store on January 1 and had also spoken to one of her children on the phone. Lee was a mother of three children.
In a statement on Friday, Lee’s family said: “Today, we accept the conviction of the person who took our mother’s life. No verdict can bring her back or erase the pain, grief and loss our family has experienced.”
“Our mother was a loving, caring and precious person whose life was taken from us too soon. Her absence is felt every day and the impact of this crime has changed our family forever.”
Detective Inspector James Callander said: “My thoughts remain with Samantha’s family and friends as they struggle to come to terms with what happened. “Nothing can make up for their loss, but I hope this outcome will bring them some comfort.
“This was a shocking attack that has caused concern in the local area and I would like to thank the community for their patience and assistance throughout our investigation.
“Greer now faces the consequences of her despicable actions.
“Violence like this is never acceptable in our communities and we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
The court heard the relationship between Greer and Lee began in 2021.
In October 2025 he was involved in a serious incident in which he was seen on a street in Aberdeen. Greer was also seen repeatedly hitting him from a pay phone. Greer was arrested and later released on bail and ordered not to go near her and imposed a curfew requiring her to wear an electronic tag.
