Man, 80, sentenced to life after murdering his lover and her son more than 45 years ago
A married man who murdered his lover and her young son more than 45 years ago will likely die behind bars.
William MacDowell, 80, was sentenced to life in prison with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 30 years for killing Renee and Andrew MacRae in November 1976.
MacDowell, of Penrith, Cumbria, killed the mother and son at a layby near Dalmagarry on the A9, about 12 miles south of Inverness.
Mrs MacRae’s BMW car was discovered on fire in the layby but the bodies have never been found.
This is despite a huge police investigation after the disappearances and further investigations in 1986, 2004 and 2018.
The double disappearance was one of the longest unsolved murder cases in Scottish criminal history.
Officers are now urging MacDowell to disclose what he did with Mrs MacRae and her son so they can be “provided with the dignity they deserve”.
William MacDowell has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders more than 45 years ago
Murderer ‘wanted to hide affair’
MacDowell, who was married while having a relationship with Mrs MacRae, who was separated from her husband, had been trying to keep their four-year affair secret.
Alex Prentice KC said during the trial MacDowell was the only man with a motive for killing the pair, as his concern grew that news of his affair would be revealed and what that would mean for his finances and lifestyle.
“Life for Bill MacDowell would change dramatically if it all came out in the open. He would lose his job, his family and his home,” Mr Prentice said.
MacDowell, who was brought into court each day in a wheelchair by his wife Rosemary, claimed the murders were committed by Mrs MacRae’s estranged husband Gordon MacRae and others unknown.
William MacDowell and Renee MacRae are pictured together in an undated photo
Murders were carried out in ‘most calculated way’
Mrs MacRae’s sister, Morag Steventon, said after the conviction: “Almost 46 years on, the pain of losing Renee and Andrew in such a cruel and brutal fashion never fades.
“Today there is finally justice for them. It’s a day we feared would never come
“They were both so precious to us and a day never passes without them both in our thoughts.”
Passing sentence after MacDowell was found guilty of the murders at the High Court at Inverness, judge Lord Armstrong told him: “These murders appear to have been premediated, planned and carried out in the most calculated way – not a spontaneous event or spur of the moment.”
He added: “These appear, in effect, to have been executions.
“You murdered your victims and then disposed of their bodies and personal effects, including the boy’s pushchair.
Mrs MacRae’s burnt out BMW was found at the time of the disappearances
Police ‘sympathise with frustrations’ of those who wanted case solved sooner
MacDowell was also found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of the bodies and personal effects.
Operation Abermule, the latest investigation into the murders, was set up to find the killer and to discover the resting place of the pair’s bodies almost 46 years after they were killed.
So far, it has only achieved one of its aims – the conviction of MacDowell following his arrest in 2019.
It has involved more than 1,500 witnesses, many of them either deceased or no longer able to give evidence in court.
“There is no doubt that the team that we had from 2018 onwards uncovered evidence that hadn’t been focused on before,” DCI Geddes said.
“We have certainly improved the known circumstances around Friday November 12 and beyond.”
The police officer said he could “sympathise with lots of frustrations why it’s taken so long” for a conviction.
But he stressed: “We have now achieved what we set out to achieve in 2018.
“And that’s in no small measure to what was carried out in 1976, 1987, 2004 onwards. That all helped us get to this point.”
UK
Nurse Sandie Peggie who complained about sharing changing room with transgender doctor wins part of employment tribunal
A nurse who complained about sharing a changing room with a transgender doctor has won part of her employment tribunal against NHS Fife, although several claims were dismissed.
Sandie Peggie took action against the health board and transgender medic Dr Beth Upton after she was suspended from her job at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy following a row with her colleague on Christmas Eve 2023.
Ms Peggie, who has worked for the NHS for 30 years, was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about patient care.
The nurse lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination, and victimisation.
The employment tribunal hearings took place in Dundee before Judge Sandy Kemp earlier this year.
In a written judgment on Monday, the harassment claim was upheld against NHS Fife, but allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation were dismissed.
The claims against Dr Upton did not succeed and were dismissed.
Dr Beth Upton arriving at the tribunal in February. Pic: PA
Ms Peggie stated: “I am beyond relieved and delighted that the tribunal has found that my employer Fife Health Board harassed me after I complained about having to share a female-only changing room with a male colleague.
“The last two years have been agonising for me and my family.
“I will have much more to say in the coming days once I’ve been able to properly consider the lengthy judgment and discuss it with my legal team.
“For now, I am looking forward to spending a quiet few days with my family.”
Ms Peggie paid tribute to her “incredible” legal team, which included lead counsel Naomi Cunningham, junior counsel Dr Charlotte Elves, and solicitor Margaret Gribbon.
She added: “There are many others I would like to thank and will do so in the coming days.”
Read more:
NHS Fife chief announces early retirement ahead of ruling
The tribunal found that NHS Fife had harassed Ms Peggie by failing to revoke the grant of permission to Dr Upton on an interim basis after the nurse complained, for the period until different work rotas took effect so that they would not work together and said that, as a result, Dr Upton was in the changing room when the claimant was present on two occasions.
It also found the board had harassed Ms Peggie by taking an unreasonable length of time to investigate the allegations against her; by making reference to patient care allegations against her on 28 March 2024; and giving an instruction to her not to discuss the case, until a further message a little over two weeks later which confirmed that applied only to the investigation.
A separate hearing on remedy – which could see Ms Peggie receive financial compensation – will take place at a later date.
NHS Fife said it had been a “complex and lengthy process”.
The health board added: “The employment tribunal unanimously dismissed all of the claimant’s allegations against Dr Upton and all of the allegations against the board apart from four specific aspects of the harassment complaint.
“We will now take time to work through the detail of the judgment alongside our legal team to understand fully what it means for the organisation.
“We want to recognise how difficult this tribunal has been for everyone directly and indirectly involved.
“Our focus now is to ensure that NHS Fife remains a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees and our patients and to deliver health and care to the population of Fife.”
Retired footballer Joey Barton has been sentenced over X posts he sent to football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, along with broadcaster Jeremy Vine.
Barton, 43, had been found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
He was sentenced to a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
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Watch judge’s remarks in Barton sentencing
The former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Rangers midfielder had claimed he was the victim of a “political prosecution” and denied his aim was to “get clicks and promote himself”.
But the jury decided Barton, capped once for England in 2007, had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with the six posts he made on the social media platform.
The prosecution argued that Barton, who has 2.5 million followers, “may well be characterised as cutting, caustic, controversial and forthright”.
Peter Wright KC continued: “Everyone is entitled to express views that are all of those things.
“What someone is not entitled to do is to post communications electronically that are – applying those standards – beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society.”
Barton denied 12 counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety between January and March last year.
He was found guilty on six counts, but cleared of another six.
Eni Aluko at London’s Royal Courts of Justice last year for her libel claim against Barton. Photo: PA
In one post in January 2024, Barton compared Aluko and Ward to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary”, and superimposed the women’s faces on a photograph of the serial murderers.
He also described Aluko as being in the “Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category”, suggesting that she had “murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of football fans’ ears”.
The jury found him not guilty in relation to the comparison with the Wests, Stalin and Pol Pot, but decided the superimposed image was grossly offensive.
Jeremy Vine. Pic: PA
Another message allegedly suggested Vine had a sexual interest in children, after the broadcaster posted a question relating to the posts about the football commentators asking whether Barton had a “brain injury”.
The court heard Barton replied to Vine’s tweet with a post referring to him as “you big bike nonce” and made references to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The ex-footballer told the court the posts were “dark and stupid humour” and “crude banter”. He also said he had no intention of implying Vine was a paedophile.
Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary KC, told Barton: “Robust debate, satire, mockery and even crude language may fall within permissible free speech.
“But when posts deliberately target individuals with vilifying comparisons to serial killers or false insinuations of paedophilia, designed to humiliate and distress, they forfeit their protection.
“As the jury concluded, your offences exemplify behaviour that is beyond this limit – amounting to a sustained campaign of online abuse that was not mere commentary but targeted, extreme and deliberately harmful.”
Barton was also given a two-year restraining order preventing him from contacting Aluko, Ward or Vine, or publishing any reference to them on a social media platform or broadcast platform.
He will also have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay prosecution costs of £23,419.
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