Two men who filmed the rape of a drugged and defenseless young father face life in prison for his murder.
Dylan Brister, 27, and Cameron Allan, 20, tainted Calum Simpson’s drink, knocking him unconscious, before subjecting him to a serious sexual assault recorded on a mobile phone.
The father-of-three’s wrists were bound with rope during the attack.
Mr Simpson, 24, later died of poisoning caused by the Class C drug etizolam and alcohol.
Her youngest child had been born just 11 days earlier.
On Friday, Brister and Allan were both found guilty of sexual assault, rape and murder following a trial in the High Court in Edinburgh.
The couple, from Fife, have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
The attack took place at Brister’s home in Methil in November 2021.
Trial judge Lord Harrower told the court: “The evidence was of the most poignant nature this court has ever had the misfortune to hear.”
The High Court of Edinburgh
The jurors were excused from jury duty for the rest of their lives.
Assistant public defender Angela Gray had earlier told the court: “What you saw on that video was rape. It was sexual assault. It was committed by both defendants acting together.”
She added: “They drugged him for sexual gratification. This drugging was wickedly irresponsible about the consequences and in doing so they showed a complete disregard for the safety and life of Calum Simpson.”
The prosecutor said the film was “a glimpse into the depravity” and dynamic between Brister and Allan.
During the sequence, Allan is heard saying to his accomplice: “At least he’s still breathing.”
The court heard the couple had sought to recruit a man to form a threesome with them, but efforts to find a participant had failed.
A man who met Allan at an inaugural Pride event in Dundee was told they would strangle him and wanted to tie him up and abuse him, but he chose not to get involved.
Ms Gray said: “And then Calum Simpson, a complete stranger, walks in.”
Mr Simpson arrived at the house with a friend who knew the couple and later left, leaving him alone with them.
Ms Gray noted: “There was no evidence that Calum Simpson had homosexual tendencies.”
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During the trial, Brister and Allan both attempted to deflect responsibility for spiking Mr Simpson’s drink with etizolam.
Brister, who received almost £1,200 a month in benefits, had won more than £20,000 gambling and bought 1,000 tablets for £200.
He said he thought the tablets were diazepam.
In an interview with police, Brister told officers: “We’re not rapists. We’re young boys who like to have fun.”
The court heard Brister had previously added poison to one woman’s drink and placed tablets in another’s mouth without her consent.
Brister told the court he suffered from complex post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder and had been given antipsychotic medication.
He said: “I’m not disputing the fact that Calum passed out and we carried on. I didn’t drug the boy, but yes, I gave him drugs.
“We raped him and continued to have sex. That’s how it is, it’s disgusting. It should never have happened. I’m not going to make excuses.”
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Allan, who also received £1,200 a month in benefits, said he was diagnosed with attachment disorder after seeing his mother die in a car crash when he was three.
He said he was now disgusted that he had taken the videos.
Allan claimed Mr Simpson was conscious and consenting when he was tied up by the couple.
He was asked why he continued after the victim passed out and replied that he did not know he was doing anything wrong at the time.
Following the killers’ conviction, Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh said: “Our thoughts are with Calum’s family and friends and I hope the conviction brings them some sort of closure.
“This is a particularly horrific and sickening attack on a young man who died after being drugged and sexually assaulted. Both men will now have to face the consequences of their actions.”
