Wife of ‘evil’ man guilty of shooting and stabbing rampage ‘glad jury saw through his lies’
A woman who was stabbed by her “evil” abusive husband in a knife and gun rampage on a Scottish island has revealed she is “glad the jury saw through his lies”.
Rowena Macdonald was stabbed by Finlay Macdonald in a frenzied attack in front of their four children after he flew into a rage over false allegations about an affair.
Macdonald, who was jailed for 28 years on Friday after being found guilty of murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to kill three other people, tried to argue his autism diagnosis was an excuse for his murderous violence on Skye and Lochalsh in 2022.
“She let me down”, he later told a consultant forensic psychiatrist, as he attempted to blame his wife for the violent outburst.
The court heard harrowing evidence of their two-year-old cradling her mother as they awaited emergency services, who would later battle to successfully save her life.
Police at the property in Teangue, Skye. Pic: PA
Forensics officers in Teangue, Skye. Pic: PA
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While the youngsters screamed and cried for help, their father ignored their distress and grabbed his newly bought gun and hundreds of cartridges of ammunition.
He loaded the car and sped off in what was the beginning of a series of attacks that August morning.
Reacting to his conviction and jail sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh, Mrs Macdonald said: “I am glad the jury saw through his life and found him guilty.
“A life sentence of 28 years is as much as we could have asked for. But will never be enough for the damage he has caused.”
Finlay MacDonald
The jury was told there were enough gun cartridges in the home to “start a small war”.
Dashcam and CCTV footage on the Isle of Skye reveal him driving through the winding rural roads en route to his next victim.
His brother-in-law, 47-year-old John MacKinnon was executed in cold blood in his kitchen. Shot dead as he prepared breakfast for his six children.
John MacKinnon. Pic: Police Scotland
MacDonald held a decade-old grudge for apparently losing a fight between the pair.
In his final act of brutality, the killer continued his car journey to attempt to murder another couple he had a grievance with.
The court heard he had made threats to kill a local osteopath who he became fixated on over claims his life had been “ruined”.
He suggested John MacKenzie had made his back injury worse following appointments to fix the issue.
Macdonald fired shots at him and his wife Fay. He still has bullets lodged in his face to this day.
Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Lady Drummond told MacDonald he was guilty of a “series of brutal and mindlessly violent attacks”, and that statements from Mr MacKinnon’s family had been “heartbreaking to read”.
She said: “The last two years have been unimaginably difficult for them all. They miss and grieve him daily.”
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
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Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
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