Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Killer’s conviction appeal thrown out
A MURDERER who stuffed a woman’s dismembered body in rubbish bins has failed in a bid to have his conviction quashed.
Steven Jackson, who repeatedly stabbed mum-of-three Kimberley MacKenzie before dismembering her remains, instructed lawyers to go to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh and argue that he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
The killer, 41, was handed a life sentence at the High Court in Livingston in January 2017 for killing Ms MacKenzie in Montrose on October 27 2015.
Jurors at his trial heard how Jackson used two knives, a hammer and a large paint scraper when he assaulted 37-yearold Ms MacKenzie.
He struck her over the head at least 11 times and stabbed her more than 40 times during a “frenzied attack”.
The day following the brutal assault, Jackson chopped up her body in a bath and with the assistance of Michelle Higgins, 29, dumped the body parts in four bins in Montrose. Higgins, also of Montrose, was jailed for eight years for helping to dispose of Ms MacKenzie’s body.
Yesterday defence advocate Donald Findlay QC told appeal judges Lord Carloway, Lord Brodie and Lord Drummond Young that his client’s conviction was unsafe.
Mr Findlay told the court a witness at Jackson’s trial had given evidence against him which was irrelevant to the proceedings, potentially prejudicing jurors against his client. He argued the evidence could portray Jackson as being somebody who was likely to commit crime.
Mr Findlay told appeal judges the law required Lady Rae, the presiding judge, to stop the trial.
But the advocate said because Lady Rae hadn’t abandoned the trial, jurors could have become prejudiced against his client. He argued that the judge’s inaction created a miscarriage of justice against Jackson.
But prosecution lawyer Ashley Edwards QC argued that Lady Rae acted correctly. The court heard the judge told jurors to disregard the irrelevant evidence given by the witness. The Crown argued the actions taken during the trial eliminated the potential for a miscarriage of justice.
The judges agreed with the submissions made by Ms Edwards and Lord Carloway added: “The appeal is refused.”