Relief violent thug will stay in Spain

A former East Kilbride beauty queen left for dead by her violent ex has spoken of her relief after hearing Spanish authorities rejected his bid to be repatriated to Scotland.

William McDonald, from Rutherglen, was convicted of trying to kill one-time Miss Scotland finalist Mhairi Campbell, pictured, after he stabbed her three times at his holiday home in Alicante in July 2017.

The brute, 63, had recently asked to return to Scotland to serve the remainder of his 15-year sentence, but his request has been denied.

After hearing the news, Mhairi, 62, said: “I’m so relieved. The thought of him being in Scotland was very scary and I want to keep him as far away as possible.

“The Spanish authorities will not repatriate for violent crimes, including; murder, rape, and attempted murder, so they’ve rejected his request.

“The fact that there is a precedent for not repatriating for violent crimes in Spain shows the arrogance of this man who still tried to appeal.

“It’s still great to see he finally can’t do anything more. He has to serve that sentence there.”

McDonald has been held in Spain since 2018 after he was detained in Scotland on a European Arrest Warrant before being handed a prison sentence in 2021.

Last year, Mhairi told how she went “through hell ”when he appealed his conviction at the Spanish Supreme court and tried to get charges dropped down to change his sentence to attempted homicide.

Mhairi, who is currently living in a safe house, said she now just wants to get on with her life after the “emotional turmoil” McDonald’s latest request has caused her.

She added: “There’s no reason he should be able to ever trace me, but this has forced me to go through emotional turmoil again and I just want to get on with my life. I don’t want to be scared anymore. ”

Mhairi was in a relationship with McDonald for six years before the attack.

She previously told how she begged McDonald to help her after realising he had stabbed her multiple times as she tried to leave his home following a row.

Speaking at the time, she said: “I kept begging him to get help. I told him I’d tell the police it was an accident but he still said no. So I told him to run – anything to get him out of the apartment.

“As soon as he was gone, I started screaming for help.”

Mhairi, who made the Miss Scotland finals in 1978, needed emergency surgery after the attack.