Perverted killers filmed themselves raping a young father after putting drugs in his drink

Two depraved murderers who filmed the rape of a drugged and defenseless young father face life sentences for his murder.

Dylan Brister and Cameron Allan spiked Calum Simpson’s drinks, leaving him unconscious, then sexually assaulted him, which was recorded on a mobile phone. Simpson, 24, died from poisoning from the drug etizolam and alcohol following the attack on him at Brister’s home in Methil, Fife. Simpson’s third child was born 11 days earlier.

During the pair’s murder trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, the jury was shown graphic footage from Allan’s phone, along with photographs of the horrific injuries the dead man sustained in the attack.

Trial judge Lord Harrower told the jury after they unanimously found the pair guilty of sexual assault, rape and murder: “The evidence is of the most harrowing kind this court has ever had the misfortune to hear.” He said that given the sensitive nature of the trial, each juror had the right to seek counselling services if they needed them and excused them from further jury duty for the rest of their lives.

The judge told Brister and Allan there was only one punishment for murder, life imprisonment, but he would adjourn the trial until next month to obtain background reports on the pair. Assistant solicitor Angela Gray told jurors: “What you saw on the footage was rape. It was sexual abuse. It was committed jointly by both defendants.”

The prosecutor said: “The two defendants devised a plan to drug Calum Simpson so that he would not be able to stand up. They drugged him for their own sexual gratification. The administration of the drugs was malicious and reckless and they showed total disregard for the safety and life of Calum Simpson.”

She said the film gave “an insight into the depravity” and dynamic between Brister and Allan. During the footage, Allan could be heard telling his accomplice: “At least he’s still breathing.” The court heard that Allan and Brister had tried to find a man to join them in a threesome, but efforts to find a participant failed.

Allan was looking on gay dating app Grindr, but Brister was aware of the plan, which involved finding a “submissive”. One man who met Allan at a first Pride event in Dundee was told they would be “ready” to choke him and would tie him up and abuse him, but he chose not to go along with it.

Ms Gray said: “And then along comes Calum Simpson, a total stranger.” Mr Simpson came to the house with a friend, Dylan Stewart, who knew them both, and later left the house, leaving him alone with them.

Ms Gray said: “There was no evidence that Calum Simpson had any homosexual tendencies.” Brister, 27, formerly of Methil, and Allan, who turns 21 today, of Dunfermline, Fife, had denied murdering Mr Simpson on November 2 and 3, 2021.

They were accused of causing him to take tablets containing the active ingredient etizolam in alcoholic drinks without his knowledge or consent, causing him to lose consciousness, and of failing to provide medical assistance or care for the victim, the Daily Record reported.

The predatory pair were also convicted of sexually abusing and raping their victim after she was unconscious. The victim’s wrists were tied with rope during the attack.

During the trial, the pair attempted to blame each other for spiking drinks with the controlled drug etizolam, which is often found in so-called “street Valium” but is up to ten times stronger than diazepam. It has now been implicated in a significant number of drug deaths in Scotland. Valium is one of the brand names for diazepam.

Brister claimed that after the victim’s death, Allan told him that he had mixed the pills into drinks for Mr Simpson. However, Allan told the court that he had seen his ex-fiancée mixing drugs into drinks intended for the victim.

Brister, who received nearly £1,200 a month in benefits, had won more than £20,000 gambling and bought 1,000 tablets for £200.

He claimed he believed it was genuine diazepam, which came in proper packaging and a pharmacy carry bag. But Allan, who said he was present when the drugs were handed over, said they were strips of medication in a freezer bag and they came with a warning. He said the woman who delivered them warned Brister they were strong, adding: “That’s why she gave the warning, someone had already died from taking them.”

Forensic evidence suggested that glasses, including a champagne glass and a shot glass with a skull on it, were laced with etizolam before the victim drank from them.

Ms Gray told the jury: “I invite you to conclude that the drinks laced with etizolam in the shot glass and the champagne glass contributed materially to the death of Calum Simpson.”

The court heard that Allan told police in a statement after Mr Simpson was found dead that he had prayed for him, claiming he was having “bad sexual thoughts because of what happened to me”.

When questioned by police, Brister told officers: “We are not rapists. We are young lads looking to have fun.” An experienced forensic pathologist who saw Mr Simpson’s injuries told the court: “If the person was awake and fully conscious, it would be very painful.”

The doctor also viewed the video footage and said the victim was unconscious, his breathing was compromised and he was snoring. The court heard evidence that Brister had previously slipped diazepam into a woman, Chloe Anderson,’s drink in 2018 and put pills in Stephanie Cooper’s mouth without her consent, which she swallowed and left her feeling dizzy and “absent” at his house.

Brister stated in court that he suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder and is taking antipsychotic medication.

He said he had taken a lot of drugs and had drunk heavily and given both Mr Stewart and Mr Simpson tablets, but stressed he had not spiked any drinks on the night of the murder. He added: “I was completely beside myself.”

Brister said: “I’m not going to deny that Calum passed out and we carried on. I didn’t rub anything in the boy’s face but yes, I drugged him.” He said: “We raped him and carried on having sex. It is what it is, disgusting. It should never have happened. I’m not going to make any excuses.”

He insisted that Allan told him he had put five diazepam tablets in the victim’s drink and called him a “f***ing idiot”.
He said: “I really thought it was diazepam, not etizolam. If I had known that these tablets contained etizolam, I would not have taken them.”

Brister said he met Allan on Grindr after his 16th birthday and the two began a relationship, but on the day of the wedding he canceled the couple’s planned wedding.

Allan said it happened the day before he moved in with Brister and they had sex after starting a relationship. Allan, who also receives £1,200 a month in benefits, said he was diagnosed with attachment disorder after watching his mother die in a car crash when he was three years old.

He claimed he was now disgusted that he made videos. His lawyer Michael Anderson KC asked him what he thought happened to Mr Simpson and he replied: “That he died from the drugs Dylan gave him.”

He claimed the victim was conscious and consenting when he and Brister restrained him. He was asked why he continued after the victim became unconscious and said he did not know he had done anything wrong at the time.

He told police he had been having “bad thoughts about sex” because of what happened to him in his youth, adding: “This is the first time I have acted on these thoughts.”

Allan said he was in love with Brister but claimed the older man mistreated him. He said: “I was treated more like a dog than a servant. He was just a violent, angry man.”

He insisted that although he had lied in the past to protect others and himself, he had told the truth in court.
Allan, who was released on bail, was remanded in custody following the verdicts.

Brister was already in prison awaiting trial. The pair were told they would be placed on the sex offenders’ register. Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh, lead investigator, said: “Our thoughts are with Calum’s family and friends and I hope the sentencing brings them some closure.”

“This was a particularly cruel and sickening attack on a young man who died after being drugged and sexually assaulted. Both men will now face the consequences of their actions.”

“I would like to thank the officers who conducted the investigation as this was a complex and harrowing investigation. Violence has no place in our communities and Police Scotland is determined to bring those responsible for such crimes to justice.”