Helene Frasser was a servant of very poor socioeconomic status residing in the hamlet of Aikenshill, Foveran, within the region of Aberdeen. Her history with the ecclesiastical courts was already established prior to the events of 1597, as records indicate she had previously confessed to the practice of charming and had performed public penance before the congregation at Foveran. By the spring of 1597, however, her reputation had worsened significantly; she was identified as a "known witch" by Malye Fynnie and cited as a precedent for witchcraft by Maly Skein. Furthermore, court documents from the trials of Couper Vatsoune, Christane Hendersoune, and Janet Ingram repeatedly positioned Helene as a central figure in a network of individuals implicated in similar activities.
The formal legal proceedings against Helene culminated in a complex and contradictory trial in Aberdeen. On April 21, 1597, the assize reached a verdict that appeared internally inconsistent; while she was acquitted by a majority vote, the record simultaneously notes that the assize found her guilty "in ane voice but contradiction." Following a confession made at the Green earlier that year, which included allegations regarding damage to dairy production, the judicial outcome proved fatal. Helene was sentenced to death, and on April 25, 1597, she was executed by burning.
