Night that I woke my husband to confront intruders ...but it cost his life
A WOMAN who sent her husband out to confront intruders has spoken of her grief ten years after he was found fatally injured.
It has never been established exactly how farmer Sandy Ingram lost his life.
The 80-year-old was discovered lying unconscious outside his home near Newmachar, Aberdeenshire, on June 19, 2010, and died nearly a year later.
His wife Ann, now 73, had spotted two men in the in the grounds of their home, Elrick House, at about 11pm on the Saturday night and sent him to investigate.
She has now spoken for the first time of how events unfolded – and how they have changed her life forever.
It has never been established who the men were and if they attacked Mr Ingram or if he simply fell and banged his head.
He suffered extensive brain injuries and underwent surgery, but was never able to tell his family or police what happened.
Mrs Ingram and her son Andrew, who farms nearby, are still seeking closure and continue to appeal for information.
Mrs Ingram said. ‘I can’t believe it is ten years. It’s a long time, but it is still so fresh in my memory.
‘We’ve never had any closure over what happened. We have our own thoughts, but there’s never been anything concrete.’
She told how she woke her husband of 36 years after hearing a noise and looking outside into the summer twilight to see ‘people out the back’. She said: ‘I woke Sandy up and he went downstairs to take a look. That was the last I saw of him until I began to wonder why he hadn’t come back in.’
On crutches following an accident, she struggled downstairs and heard the dog barking.
She added: ‘That’s when I found him lying on the ground.
‘It’s the kind of thing I still go over in my head today. I think
“Why did I wake him up to go out? If I hadn’t, he might be still here”, or “Why didn’t I go and look out the window sooner?” But you can’t live like that, I suppose.’
Mrs Ingram phoned 999 and her son also arrived at the farm, along with her brother-in-law Robert and his wife, as the emergency services responded.
Mr Ingram underwent surgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but was never able to speak again. His cause of death was listed as head injury, immobilisation and bronchopneumonia.
Mrs Ingram said: ‘He was never responsive. Some days we got a smile, but it was very seldom.
‘I saw his brain scans when he was in hospital and – though I’m not a medical person – I don’t think he would have got those injuries just from falling.’
Mrs Ingram, a retired bank clerk, never stayed at Elrick House again and the estate was sold about five years ago.
She said: ‘There’s never a day goes past that I don’t think about it. If anyone knows anything, no matter how small, please come forward and tell me what happened to my husband.’
Detective Inspector Martyn Thomson, of Police Scotland, said: ‘As with all long-running inquiries, we will react to any new information we receive.
‘Our thoughts continue to be with Mr Ingram’s family, particularly at this poignant time.’
‘We’ve never had any closure’