Way home after leaving Linda for dead

Convicted killer is in handcuffs as uniformed and plain clothes detectives take him away after. Within 25 minutes of the attack, there was a helicopter overhead, police cars everywhere and officers were knocking at our door.

“Officers would have known he was back out in the community and he was probably their immediate suspect.

“We watched as the whole street was locked down. There were officers in the front and back gardens, trying to speak to him through the windows and front door. He eventually came out and was marched handcuffed into a police van.

“Templeton Woods is about a 15-minute walk across country from here along a well-used path.

“Dog-walkers and joggers use it. There would have been a lot of people out as it was quite a nice day. He could have chosen anyone to attack.”

McIntosh tried to murder Linda while he was out of Castle Huntly prison, near Dundee, on home leave. A local woman said: “He used to stay from Wednesday to Wednesday with his mother.

“While he was here, McIntosh visited a girlfriend in Newtyle like clockwork. He’d return on the 10.10pm bus.

“On the night before the attack, he didn’t get back until closer to midnight.

“He was very much someone who liked routines so I wonder if something happened that night.”