Family of Aberdeen student who took her own life raise £10,000 to bring her home to Orkney

The devastated family of an Aberdeen student who took her own life have raised nearly £10,000 to bring her body back to Orkney.

Claire Fraser, 19, had struggled with her mental health after her brother William was stabbed to death by their uncle two years ago.

The Robert Gordon University student passed away on Wednesday, November 20, with police called to the Garthdee Road campus following the heartbreaking discovery.

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Her mum Fiona previously told of her daughter's struggles to come to terms with the tragic death of her "big brother." William Fraser was stabbed 20 times in a fatal attack by their uncle, Erlend Fraser, in 2022, writes the Daily Record.

The distraught family launched a fundraiser to repatriate Claire's body back to her native Orkney, and Fiona has thanked those who have generously donated to the GoFundMe page, which has raised more than £9,600 - far beyond the initial £4,000 target.

The mum wrote on the fundraiser: "A very massive thank you from our family for all the amazing support, so kind and [we are] overwhelmed."

As we previously reported, Fiona launched the fundraiser to pay for Claire's funeral on her home island. She said: "Our beautiful daughter Claire, age 19, very devastatingly took her own life on 20th November when away from home at University.

"Claire had struggled terribly after her big brother William was brutally killed in June 2022. She didn't have life insurance so funds are very much needed, please, to bury her in Orkney where she was born."

Erlend Fraser, 51, repeatedly stabbed his nephew William Fraser in the attack in the village of St Margaret's Hope on June 19, 2022. William had been with friends before ending up at his uncle's door that night. A relative and her partner later arrived to find blood on sofas and the floor, and the IT technician dead in the toilet.

At the time of the trial, Judge Lord Matthews heard the killing of William, who was just 21, had a devastating impact on family members of the deceased. His uncle originally faced a charge of murder, but his guilty plea to the lesser charge of culpable homicide was accepted by the Crown on the basis of diminished responsibility.

A court heard Erlend has a mental disorder in the form of a learning disability. He was ordered to be held at a high security psychiatric hospital under a compulsion order last year following his conviction at the High Court in Edinburgh.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers were called to the Garthdee Road area of Aberdeen around 1.35am on Wednesday, 20 November, following the sudden death of a 19-year-old woman. There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."

To donate to Claire's fundraiser, click here.