Callous thug claims stab victim knifed herself in the back
Jailed Costa attacker’s bizarre bid for freedom
A violent thug who tried to murder his partner in Spain has made a bizarre bid for freedom – by claiming his victim stabbed herself multiple times.
William McDonald, from Rutherglen, Glasgow, left former beauty queen Mhairi Campbell for dead when he plunged a blade into her three times as she tried to leave his Costa Blanca home in July 2017.
The 62-year-old was finally convicted and sentenced to almost 15 years behind bars in July this year after fleeing to Scotland in the days following the murder bid and being extradited back to Spain.
Now an appeal has been thrown out by a Spanish court, which heard odd claims that Mhairi “inflicted the injuries to herself ” in a bid to keep her partner’s home in the sun.
Mhairi, 60, told of her relief at the judgment, saying it closed the “final chapter” on a traumatic episode.
The mum, a former Miss Scotland finalist, said: “It was a horrific attack, to come back to Scotland and leave me for dead over there.
“The only defence he had was to try to belittle me and turn me into the perpetrator.
“How can you stab yourself in the back? It shows the mentality of William. I think his victim blaming will have shown to the judges the type of person he is.”
McDonald knifed Mhairi in the back, arm and stomach and left her lying in a pool of blood in his apartment in Rojales, near Torrevieja, after she refused to give him money to leave Spain. The brute asked her if she wanted to write a letter to her daughter as she lay bleeding, before proceeding to clean the crime scene with bleach and running away.
Mhairi was only saved when neighbours heard her cries for help.
She added: “The problem with William is he always thought he was bulletproof. He was so arrogant he thought he could flee Spain and get on with his life in Rutherglen. He was wrong.
“I’ll never be the same due to my injuries but I’m a survivor. It’s time for healing and closure.”
Almost a year after the attack, her ex was arrested on a European warrant in Scotland and was extradited to Spain, where he remained in custody.
Mhairi told the Sunday Mail earlier this year how she felt like “a prisoner” in Spain as she spent months awaiting McDonald’s trial , fearing Covid travel restrictions could prevent her returning to give evidence if she tried to go home to East Kilbride.
She finally gave evidence at Alicante’s Provincial Court in June and judges convicted McDonald, sentencing him to 14 years and 11 months in prison.
He was ordered to stay away from Mhairi for 24 years and pay her compensation of more than £20,000.
Last week she learned an appeal had been thrown out at Valencia High Court.
Mhairi travelled to Spain recently to retrieve the last of her belongings and said she now wants to move on with her life in Scotland. She hopes she can use her experience to work with charities in the future.