Freed murderer takes a stroll..to bludgeon another innocent woman with a dumbbell hidden in his bag
SCANDAL OF THE CASUAL KILLER
KILLER Robbie McIntosh is caught on CCTV calmly making his way to woods to batter a defenceless dog walker as she begged for her life.
The 31-year-old, who had a dumbbell in his bag to use as a weapon, was on jail leave after being caged for murder when he bludgeoned Linda McDonald and left her with life-changing injuries.
Yesterday, as he admitted the attack, her family demanded to know why he was on the streets and not behind bars for slaying first victim Anne Nicoll.
CONVICTED killer Robbie McIntosh yesterday admitted trying to murder a second woman while he was on home leave from prison.
The maniac left grandmother Linda McDonald with life-changing injuries when he repeatedly bludgeoned her on the head and body with a dumbbell as she walked her dog in woods.
McIntosh was caged for life in 2002 for stabbing another dog-walker to death when he was just 15.
He tried to kill Linda while he was out of jail as he prepared to be released on parole.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that McIntosh, 31, pounced on Linda, 52, in Templeton Woods in Dundee on August 7.
The victim pleaded for her life as he rained blows down on her, smashing her skull.
She repeatedly begged for her husband Matthew and said: “I want to see him before I die.”
Last night, Linda’s family blasted the decision to let McIntosh out on home leave.
Matthew said: “On August 7, a horrific and violent attack on my wife turned our family’s life upside down.
“Given his past conviction for a brutal murder, I can’t believe the Scottish Prison Service deemed that this sick individual, who attempted to murder my wife, was allowed to be in the public domain.”
McIntosh murdered his first victim Anne Nicoll, 34, by stabbing her 29 times in woods on Dundee law on August 2, 2001.
He was given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years.
On August 2 –the 16th anniversary of Anne’s murder – McIntosh was given leave from Castle Huntly Prison, near Dundee.
Five days later, he was caught on CCTV leaving his mother’s flat in the village of Bridgefoot and walking to Templeton Woods, where Linda was walking her Jack Russell Betsy on a bright summer day.
The court heard the mother-of-two had taken a path in an area that was popular with cyclists and walkers.
As she approached a water tower, she became aware of McIntosh walking towards her “as if on a march”.
She described him as “expressionless” as he passed her, but she heard his footsteps stop and then coming towards her at speed.
Prosecutor Iain McSporran said: “She turned to face him and saw him with his hand high above his head, holding a metal object which has since been identified as a dumbbell.
“This was being brought down towards Mrs McDonald’s head.
“She raised her hands to cover her face and he brought the dumbbell down on her head. The victim was stunned by the weight and power of the blow. Nonetheless, she attempted to fight back and, as the accused lifted the dumbbell back up into the air to strike her again, she reached up towards him with both her hands to try to prevent him from striking her again.
“He grabbed her clothing, pulling her to the ground.
“Mrs McDonald began to scream and shout, ‘Please, please, why are you doing this?’
“She describes him as expressionless and impervious to her pleas and he continued to strike her repeatedly on the head and body with the dumbbell.”
McSporran said mum-of-two Linda went on screaming during the attack.
He added: “She knew that she had to scream to attract attention. She was certain she was going to be murdered.”
The victim could feel blood running into her eyes and ears and she was drifting in and out of consciousness. But she was aware of McIntosh dragging her from the path into the woods.
McSporran said it was “a matter of great good fortune” that brothers Charles and Peter Connor were in the area walking their dogs and heard Linda’s screams and her dog barking.
Charles ran ahead and saw the attacker crouching down and leaning over something on the ground. He thought it looked like a red coat or an injured dog he was tending to.
McIntosh ran off and Charles found Linda with her face covered in blood.
He covered her with his jacket and tried to stem the heavy bleeding while his brother called emergency services. Two women also came to the aid of the victim.
While waiting for an ambulance, Linda told police: “He walked past me. I heard him running, then felt it on the back of my head. He hit me on the back of the head from behind.
“I couldn’t see. I thought I was dead. He kept hitting me and hitting me. He was too strong for me.
“I was screaming and screaming. I asked, ‘Why, why, why?’”
Linda, convinced she was dying, kept asking for her husband.
Officers traced McIntosh to the Bridgefoot flat.
They found he was sweating and had stripped off down to a pair of
He kept hitting me. He was too strong for me. I was screaming and asking, ‘Why, why, why?’LINDA McDONALD
blood-stained boxers. Other clothes were in the washing machine.
Linda, who was in court with Matthew yesterday, suffered two fractures on her skull. She had scalp wounds that needed stitched and stapled as well as bruising and scratches to her chest, bruising and swelling to her face and eyes, and a badly damaged thumb.
The court heard she has continuing pain and dizziness and experiences nightmares and flashbacks.
McSporran said: “She should have been enjoying time getting to know her baby grandson but has been unable to do so in the aftermath of the attack.”
McIntosh admitted attempting to murder Linda by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a dumbbell to her severe injury, permanent impairment and disfigurement and to the danger of her life.
His lawyer Chris Fyffe said: “He acknowledges he has committed an abhorrent and disturbing act and he is ashamed, contrite and penitent.”
Remanding McIntosh in custody, judge Lord Arthurson told him: “This is one of the worst cases of violence I have had to deal with.”
The judge commended the conduct of the Connor brothers and others who went to Linda’s aid.
Police believe the attack would have proved fatal had the passers-by not heard Linda’s screams and gone to her aid, forcing McIntosh to flee. He will be sentenced next month. After yesterday’s hearing, Matthew called for authorities to re-examine the criteria for releasing prisoners. He added: “If there had been strict monitoring, supervision and tagging in place, we wouldn’t be going through this hell. “To ensure no other family has to endure what we are experiencing, the Scottish Prison Service and the Parole Board should, as a priority, examine their release criteria and assessment systems. That is the least we would expect.” The murder of Anne back in 2001 was described in court as an attack of “appalling brutality”.
She suffered knife wounds to the neck, face, head, back, chest, abdomen and arm when she was attacked as she walked her Airedale terrier.
McIntosh made sure she couldn’t scream for help by stabbing her through the voicebox. He also stamped on her as she lay dying.
Her husband found her dead body in woodland after being led there by their dog.
During his trial, McIntosh lodged a special defence of incrimination and claimed his friend was to blame.
Before the killing, the maniac had been looking at vile online images of women and girls being raped and battered.