Pair’s ‘killing frenzy’ was ‘recreational murder’
Father and son who murdered and mutilated two men are jailed for life
AFATHER and son who murdered and mutilated two men in a “killing frenzy” of “recreational murder” were described as “monsters” by a judge as they were jailed for life on Monday.
North Berwick resident Dean MacLeod, 42, and Ian MacLeod, 66, were both ordered to serve at least 34 years in prison before they can seek to apply for parole after killing Derek Johnston and Desmond Rowlings.
MacLeod Senior separately invited both victims to his home at Greendykes House, in Edinburgh’s Craigmillar area, where they were savagely attacked.
His son, nicknamed Denim, bought two hammers, forensic suits, plastic overshoes and goggles in the lead-up to the murders.
A judge told the pair at the High Court in Edinburgh: “This is, on any view, one of the worst cases of murder to come before the High Court.”
Lord Arthurson said that the violence inflicted on Mr Johnston, 37, and Mr Rowlings, 66, was “extreme, sustained and prolonged”.
The judge endorsed the words of a victim’s bereaved family who described it as “the cowardly actions of monsters”.
He told the pair: “Your appalling crimes demonstrate on your part an immense capacity for wickedness, depravity and sadism.
“Your conduct in this case was indeed the cowardly action of monsters, a killing frenzy which can be characterised as recreational murder, in which you killed and tormented your victims for no reason other than bloodlust and your own pleasure.”
He added: “Your victims, who were vulnerable individuals, had done you no harm whatsoever.
“You have displayed no empathy or remorse to even the smallest extent in respect of your victims and their families.”
The judge also paid tribute to all who had worked on the case and had had to “examine truly horrific scenes” and “see things that they cannot un-see”.
MacLeod Senior, of Greendykes Road, Edinburgh, and his son, of North Berwick’s Phillimore Square, admitted murdering Mr Johnston between October 30 and November 1, 2022, with shocking violence – the details of which some readers may find distressing.
They admitted repeatedly striking him on the head with a Stanley knife and a machete, and repeatedly hitting him on the head with a hammer, which was left embedded in his head.They also burnt the letters ‘YLT’ – believed to be a reference to Edinburgh street gang Young Leith Team – into his forehead with a blowtorch, severed an ear and part of his nose, and forced nails through his eyes.
The pair also pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Rowlings between the same dates by repeatedly striking him on the head and body with a Stanley knife and machetes, and repeatedly striking him on the head and body with a hammer.
They burnt the letters ‘YT’ and ‘YLT’ on his body with a blowtorch, severed parts of his nose and upper lip, and cut off his ears.
After the murders, police found a note written by Dean MacLeod in the flat which said: “What we done was evil and sadistic but I have pleaded for help for decades.”
He said he went to see a psychiatrist, smashed up tables and told him “about persistent thoughts of mutilating people”.
He wrote: “Na f*** you’z, pity I wasn’t the same man as back in the day as the targets would’ve been a better selection and a lot more of them for sure, they 2 were done for petty reasons really.
“I am sorry to let anyone down for being so evil but I was just tiered [sic] of being a laughing stock and door mat from pure T pots.”
The court heard that, following the murders, MacLeod Junior told a psychiatrist: “I’ve not always been a bad person. I’ve got closer to my dad the last few days but he is a narcissist and a sociopath.”
The court heard that days before the murders, Mr Johnston, who lived in Liberton, told a neighbour that he had heard “Ian and Denim were out to kill him”.
Advocate depute Gavin Anderson said that Mr Johnston arrived at Greendykes House at 6.15pm on October 30 after being invited there by MacLeod Senior. He added: “He did not leave the locus again prior to his death.”
On October 31, 2022, MacLeod Senior went to the flat of his neighbour Mr Rowlings, a retired joiner, and invited him to his home.
The following day would have been the victim’s 67th birthday and his partner tried to call him to wish him happy birthday. After failing to make contact, she and friends went to his flat. There was no sign of him, but the TV and lights were on and his car was parked outside. A missing person report was made.
Police later forced entry to the flat of MacLeod Senior, where they found the bodies of the victims.
Mr Anderson said: “The body of Mr Rowlings was found in the living room. He was lying on his back in the far right corner under a window. He was covered by a blanket.
“A Stanley knife, hammer and blowtorch were found beside him. He had sustained significant injuries to his head and body, including the partial removal of his ears and nose, as well as multiple stab wounds to the face.
“The body of Mr Johnston was found in the bathroom, within the bath. He was covered by a rug. He had sustained significant injuries to his head and body. A hammer was embedded in his head. A nail was protruding from each eyeball.”
Mr Johnston was later found to have sustained at least 28 separate injuries to his head, neck and limbs, and death occurred following multiple injuries to the right side of the head.
Mr Anderson said neuropathology findings were consistent with survival of “at least a few hours” between at least some of the head injuries being inflicted and death, but it did not follow that the victim was conscious during that time.
Mr Rowlings was found to have suffered 136 distinct injuries to his head, neck, chest, back and limbs. Some of these were groups of injuries, so the total number inflicted was considerably greater.
Police traced the MacLeods to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and took possession of the son’s clothing and a rucksack. Inside the rucksack, they found a pouch which contained part of Mr Johnston’s ear and a piece of his flesh, along with a piece of Mr Rowlings’ nose and a piece of his flesh.
During an assessment with a consultant forensic psychiatrist, MacLeod Junior said: “They never believed I was ill, but they will now when they see the intentions, and there was a lot more intentions.”
He added: “The voice in my head says to do this and do that.”
During a search at the flat, blood from Mr Rowlings was on the living room blinds and ceiling, and police recovered two extensively bloodstained machetes, a Stanley knife and two hammers.
Mr Anderson said that the nails were driven into Mr Johnston’s eyes and left ear and the tip of the nose removed after death.
After the murders, the MacLeods drove away and consumed methadone in a bid to commit suicide.
They then went to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and met off-duty doctors in the grounds, where MacLeod Junior stated they had both taken an overdose but “it hadn’t worked”. They were then taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Defence counsel Brian McConnachie KC, for MacLeod Senior, who was previously jailed for six years for serious assault, said that his client had health issues including Parkinson’s disease.
He said that MacLeod understood the sentence to be imposed on him would be “a death sentence” as he would not be coming out of custody.
Mark Stewart KC, for the son, said that he had suffered mental health issues for a number of years.
Following sentencing, Mr Johnston’s sister Pamela Johnston and his mum Angela Couzens issued a statement on how the loss of their loved one had affected their lives.
Pamela said: “Derek should and will be remembered for the courageous, kind and caring soul he was.
“He had a huge heart and would help anyone in need, doing so without judgement.
“We were so proud of him – and although he was not without his own struggles in life, he battled on with inspirational resilience.
“We could never quantify the depth of pain and despair we are in, suffering the loss of Derek.
“Our faith in humanity is shattered. In our opinion – in the absence of capital punishment – there is no justifiable sentence that fits this cruel, calculated, callous and horrific crime. But today, we saw those monsters put behind bars for good.”
Moira Orr, procurator fiscal for homicide and major crime at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “The savage nature of these attacks sent shockwaves through the local community.
“While the families of Derek and Desmond will never recover from the murders inflicted upon their loved ones, I hope these guilty pleas bring them some comfort that justice has been served.”
Detective Superintendent Susan Balfour said: “These crimes were some of the most violent I have seen, and everyone involved was affected. There is no doubt in my mind that people are safer now that these two men are in prison.”