Bereaved family hit out over sentence

The family of Dundee woman Marie Low have said there is “no justice” after her killer was sentenced to fiveand-a-half years in jail.

Siobhan Russell was found guilty of culpable homicide following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen and sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

But the family of Dundee mum and grandmother Marie Low said they were furious at the length of the sentence.

Family member Natalie McLean, who organised an online fundraiser to help pay of the mum-of-four’s funeral in 2016, said the family had been particularly stung by claims made by Ms Russell’s solicitor that her children would suffer because of her incarceration.

“What about Marie’s kids? She’ll never see them and she had a granddaughter she never got to see,” said Natalie.

“They (Russell’s children) will be away from their mum for a few years and will be able to visit her in prison.

“They’ll always be able to see their mum.

“The only way Marie’s kids will see their mum is if they sit in a room with her ashes.”

Natalie added: “Five-and-a-half years is nothing. How can you take somebody’s life and get that?”

Russell was found guilty of killing Dundee mum-of-four Marie Low after a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen last year.

The jury heard from witnesses including Ms Low’s daughter Jamie Lee who described how she saw her mother stabbed by Russell in front of her.

Another witness claimed a feud had developed between Ms Low and Russell over a £10 debt.

Russell was accused of murdering Low in Ballantrae Terrace in September 2016 but she claimed the fatal stabbing was in an act of self-defence.

Prosecutors claimed the killing blow was inflicted prior to any assault by Low and Jamie-Lee.

The court heard how Ms Low was rushed to hospital but suffered five cardiac arrests due to the left ventricle in her heart being pierced by the blade.

Although witnesses reported multiple fights occurring between the accused and the deceased in the days leading up to the incident, the jurors ruled out provocation.

The family of Ms Low assembled in the courtroom to hear the jury’s verdict.

Ms Low’s father Albert said they had achieved “justice for Marie” after the verdict was announced.