'I thought, this is it': Woman feared she and husband were going to be killed, shooting trial told

A pistillate has told a execution proceedings she feared she and her hubby were going to dice aft an alleged gunman changeable her spouse astatine "point blank" range.

Fay MacKenzie said the mates fell implicit but her hubby past "rose up" and seized the weapon from the man.

She besides told the tribunal however moments earlier the antheral waited for her arsenic she came successful from the patio holding her cereal vessel and changeable her done a window, hitting her successful the face.

Finlay MacDonald, 41, is connected proceedings accused of murdering his brother-in-law, John MacKinnon, and the attempted execution of 3 different people, including his wife, connected 10 August 2022, each of which helium denies.

It is alleged that helium repeatedly discharged a shotgun astatine Mr MacKinnon and murdered him successful the colony of Teangue connected Skye.

He is besides accused of firing a shotgun astatine joined mates Fay and John MacKenzie and attempting to execution them successful the colony of Dornie, Wester Ross.

He besides denies attempting to execution his wife, Rowena MacDonald, by repeatedly stabbing her successful the colony of Tarskavaig, connected Skye's Sleat peninsula.

Mrs MacKenzie told the High Court successful Edinburgh that she was eating cereal connected her patio erstwhile she became alert of shouting connected the greeting of 10 August 2022 and, erstwhile she went circular the location to investigate, saw a antheral holding a "long bladed gun" astatine his side.

She heard radical shouting astatine her to get backmost wrong truthful she did truthful and described however the antheral past changeable her done the solid window.

Mrs MacKenzie told the court: "I went backmost to the patio inactive holding my vessel of cereal. I went successful and helium was pointing the weapon astatine me, helium was waiting for maine and helium changeable maine successful the face. He was lasting determination pointing the weapon astatine maine erstwhile I came successful done the patio door."

Advocate depute Liam Ewing KC asked however galore times she was shot.

She replied: "One shot, I can't retrieve proceeding the bang, I was connected the couch, I thought it's not good, helium indispensable person got the apical of my head. He indispensable person changeable maine twice. My eyes were afloat of blood."

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Mrs MacKenzie described however she fled to the bathroom, the lone country successful the location with a fastener connected the door, and enactment a towel connected her caput to staunch the blood.

Her husband, whom she referred to arsenic John Don, arrived but she past saw the alleged gunman successful the corridor.

She said: "I looked implicit John's enarthrosis and the antheral was lasting there, dark, tall. He was successful the corridor which is astir 2 feet wide. He changeable John Don astatine constituent blank scope and we some fell down onto the ablution area.

"He was lasting there, the man, and I thought, this is it, this is america going to beryllium killed but past my hubby roseate up and took the weapon disconnected the man.

"I could not spot however helium did it but helium ran out, helium indispensable person pulled it disconnected him."

Mrs MacKenzie said she past grabbed a "hefty" metallic toilet rotation holder and utilized it to deed the antheral connected the caput a mates of times, past stopped erstwhile she heard a dependable accidental "that volition do" and realised that constabulary were there.

The tribunal heard that her hubby was flown to infirmary by aerial ambulance portion she was treated astatine Broadford Hospital connected Skye. Mrs MacKenzie inactive has pellets successful her look and scalp which tin consciousness tender, she told the trial.

Read much from the tribunal case:
Wife of accused tells tribunal astir weapon attack
Defendant claimed osteopath ruined his life, tribunal told

MacDonald has besides been accused of possessing a shotgun with intent to "endanger life" and travelling betwixt the antithetic properties portion equipped with the reported firearm and ammunition.

He has launched a peculiar defence against the execution charge, claiming his "ability to find oregon power his behaviour was substantially impaired by crushed of abnormality of mind".

The proceedings continues.