‘Evil’ man jailed for Skye gun rampage which left one dead and three injured

An “evil and selfish” antheral has been jailed for a minimum of 28 years aft being recovered blameworthy of murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to termination 3 different radical during a shotgun rampage.

Finlay MacDonald, 41, carried retired the spree of unit connected the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland connected August 10, 2022.

The attacks began that greeting erstwhile the father-of-four repeatedly stabbed his woman Rowena astatine their location successful Taskarvaig connected the island’s Sleat peninsula aft uncovering “flirty” substance messages connected her telephone betwixt her and her boss.

Giving grounds during the proceedings astatine the High Court successful Edinburgh, Mrs MacDonald said the “frenzied” onslaught punctured some her lungs and near her “squelching blood” with each enactment she took.

After attacking his wife, MacDonald got into his car with a pump-action shotgun, a “couple of hundred” cartridges and a “machete-type” knife, and drove to his brother-in-law John MacKinnon’s location successful the adjacent colony of Teangue.

His sister Lyn-Anne MacKinnon, who was extracurricular connected the driveway, told the tribunal she saw him with the weapon arsenic helium walked into the house, and said she heard “bangs” arsenic helium changeable Mr MacKinnon a fig of times, leaving him with fatal injuries.

A GP who lived adjacent attempted to prevention Mr MacKinnon but helium died astatine the scene.

Sentencing MacDonald, Judge Lady Drummond said his crimes were “brutal and mindlessly violent” and perpetrated connected victims “in their ain homes, wherever they had nary accidental to escape”.

In a connection work by constabulary pursuing the verdict, Mr MacKinnon’s 2 sisters said helium was a “great man”.

“It should ne'er beryllium forgotten that John was defenceless astatine the clip of his murder, erstwhile helium was inhumanely changeable 3 times successful his ain home, portion making meal for his children – murdered by Finlay MacDonald, whose callous and cowardly actions person traumatised each those involved,” their connection said.

“Finlay MacDonald’s children are present without a begetter owed to selfish and evil actions. John’s six children are without his guidance, information and humour.”

The tribunal heard MacDonald had borne a grudge against his brother-in-law since the brace had a convulsive falling retired successful 2013.

MacDonald’s lawyer had argued for his lawsuit to beryllium convicted of the lesser offence of culpable homicide alternatively than execution successful narration to the sidesplitting of Mr MacKinnon, saying his quality to power his actions had been “impaired by crushed of abnormality of mind”.

However aft three-and-a-half hours of deliberation connected Friday, the assemblage recovered MacDonald blameworthy of 1 number of murder, 3 counts of attempted murder, and 1 number of possession of a shotgun “with intent thereof to endanger life”.

For them and the household of John MacKinnon, beingness volition ne'er beryllium the same

Judge Lady Drummond, connected MacDonald's victims

Lady Drummond sentenced MacDonald to beingness imprisonment and ordered him to walk a minimum of 28 years down bars.

After murdering Mr MacKinnon, MacDonald past drove to the location successful Dornie successful Wester Ross, connected the mainland, wherever his osteopath John MacKenzie lived with his woman Fay.

MacDonald claimed Mr MacKenzie had antecedently fixed him a attraction league which helium said “ruined his life”.

After arriving, MacDonald changeable Mrs MacKenzie successful the look done the windows of the location and past changeable Mr MacKenzie twice, successful his beforehand and side, earlier being tasered and arrested by constabulary who had trailed him to the property.

Mrs MacDonald, Mrs MacKenzie and Mr MacKenzie each survived their injuries, and gave grounds successful tribunal during the trial.

The tribunal was shown footage of a constabulary interrogation with MacDonald the time aft the attacks during which helium said helium stabbed his woman successful a “moment of madness” and helium past felt a “total acheronian travel implicit me”.

Lady Drummond said the assemblage dismissed suggestions that MacDonald was “provoked” into attacking his wife.

The justice said each the surviving victims could person died from their wounds, and she praised their actions and those of the exigency services.

She said Mrs MacDonald had suffered “devastating” carnal and intelligence harm, including six weeks successful hospital, portion Mr MacKenzie besides spent six weeks successful hospital, including successful a captious condition, and needed to person a kidney removed.

The justice said: “That they are live contiguous is down to their ain actions, constabulary and exigency services successful reaching them – the result for each of them was apt to beryllium fatal. For them and the household of John MacKinnon, beingness volition ne'er beryllium the same.”

She told MacDonald helium changeable his victims “at adjacent range”, and stabbed his woman Rowena 9 times, earlier targeting his brother-in-law.

She added: “The assemblage decided your behaviour was not substantially impaired by abnormality of mind. They convicted you of murder. There was grounds you bought a shotgun and 1,000 cartridges astir six weeks earlier and told others you were going to termination Mr MacKenzie.”

A cardinal absorption of the 12-day proceedings was the grade to which MacDonald was successful power of his actions erstwhile helium carried retired the attacks.

The tribunal heard grounds astir his intelligence authorities from 2 psychiatrists and 2 psychologists, who each agreed helium suffered from autistic spectrum upset and depressive disorder.

However authoritative Liam Ewing KC said MacDonald’s actions aft helium stabbed his woman – including the information helium drove to 2 antithetic houses, was capable to load and usage a shotgun, and was capable to prime his victims – indicated helium had been “fully successful control” of his actions erstwhile helium murdered the osteopath.

Defending, solicitor advocator Shahid Latif said of MacDonald: “He is atrocious for what helium did that day.

“He wishes helium could undo and spell backmost successful clip to effort and halt himself.

“In peculiar helium indicates helium has failed his children. He wants them to cognize helium is sorry.”