THE FAMILY of a young mum who was stabbed 45 times by a coke fiend told their heartbreak after her killer was banged up in a state hospital.
Drug abuser Michael Porchetta, 28, brutally knifed Aimee Cannon, 26, at her home and left her body lying amid her children’s toys.
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He had been due to stand trial, but was deemed unfit as a result of a cognitive impairment.
A judge concluded he had carried out the vicious attack “beyond reasonable doubt” and that he tried to cover his tracks.
Porchetta was handed an indefinite compulsion order meaning he will remain at the State Hospital in Carstairs, Lanarkshire.
The monster hung his head in shame as he was removed from the dock at the High Court in Glasgow.
Speaking outside, Aimee’s heartbroken mother Wendy said: “To lose your only child in any circumstances is unbelievably painful and at times unbearable.
“Aimee was killed in a brutal and sustained attack.
“As family and friends we have watched the horror of her extensive injuries in video evidence in court.
“I am struggling still with the images of my beautiful daughter lying amongst her children’s toys with catastrophic injuries.
“Nor will I ever comprehend the pain and anguish my husband faced finding our wee girl dead.
“We never got a chance to hold our daughter one last time, to tell how much we loved her and that we will always help to keep her children safe.”
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Porchetta killed Aimee in her home in West Calder, West Lothian, in May 2022.
Lord Mulholland said he had “subjected her to a cowardly, vicious and frenzied attack”.
He added: “She was defenceless as you were armed with a knife or knives. It is clear from some of her defensive injuries and her broken nails, she fought for her life.”
He added Porchetta had “deviously tried to cover his tracks” including getting rid of Aimee’s mobile phone and trying to clean blood from his trainers.
The lawman said he had read emotional impact statements penned by Aimee’s family which he described as “heart-wrenching”.
He concluded: “Your brutal and cowardly actions have rendered two young children without a mother.
“You are clearly a danger to the public and the disposal I make will protect the public from you.
“I make an indefinite compulsion order under conditions of special security which means maximum security to the state hospital.”
The court also heard evidence during an examination of facts hearing from two psychiatrists who concluded Porchetta remained a high risk.
The fiend was found to have a low IQ, mild learning disability, documented instances of violence, and that he had self-harmed.
He had also developed a chronic drug habit and financial troubles.
Psychiatrists said he had been using “cocaine at all the time” and that at times he was “more interested in cocaine than food”.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Stuart Doig, one of the two medical professionals who gave evidence, said Porchetta needs “concerted long term risk management” measures while at the state hospital.
At one stage, Lord Mulholland asked the witness: “It is possible that he is never released?”
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Dr Doig: “That is correct.”
The psychiatrist also agreed during his evidence that there appeared to be “no clear motive” for the killing.
