Callous murderer fired three more rounds into dead man

Oct 8 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

ANDREW Somerville — who has been handed £2100 compensation from the Scottish Prison Service — murdered Craig Anderson in cold-blood.

At the time of the killing in May 1993 cops had been searching for Somerville for four days after he abducted his former partner from her home in Harthill, just a short time after he was released from a three-year sentence for a serious assault.

The woman had been released unharmed in Blackridge but told officers Somerville, who made off into the woods round the West Lothian town, was armed with a shotgun, rifle and pistol.

Craig Anderson stumbled across Somerville three days later when he went with his fiancée to Cult Farm, just outside Whitburn, to check on her horse.

Somerville took the pair hostage and their terrifying ordeal lasted five hours.

At Crosswoodburn reservoir, south of West Calder, he ordered the couple out of the car and forced Craig to hand over all the money he had.

Somerville then shot him and even though Craig died instantly he went on to pump three more rounds into his body.

Craig’s fiancée later escaped by throwing herself out the car she was in with Somerville when she saw a police car behind them as they entered Whitburn.

Then after a shootout which injured the three police officers, Somerville was taken to hospital with a serious firearm wound to the chest, where he stayed in intensive care for 12 days.

Sentencing him at the High Court in Edinburgh Lord Clyde said: “It seems to me the callous brutality and indifference to humanity you have shown here is likely to be a serious danger to the public.

“This is a particularly horrific story.”