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.
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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.”
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.
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.”
