Skye Gunman who murdered brother-in-Law in shotgun rampage denied appeal
A man who embarked on a brutal shotgun rampage across the Isle of Skye and the scottish mainland, killing his brother-in-law and seriously injuring three others, has lost his bid to appeal against his conviction.
Finlay MacDonald, 41, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years in november 2023 after unleashing a wave of violence on 10 august 2022. His murderous spree began at his home in Tarskavaig, on the sleat peninsula of skye, where he repeatedly stabbed his wife Rowena in a frenzied attack.
He then drove to the nearby village of teangue and fatally shot his brother-in-law, 47-year-old John MacKinnon, while the latter was preparing breakfast for his children. Despite desperate attempts by a local GP to save him, Mr MacKinnon died at the scene from his injuries.
MacDonald’s rampage did not end there. He travelled to Dornie, in wester ross on the Scottish mainland, and shot osteopath John MacKenzie and his wife Fay at their home. Both sustained serious injuries but survived the attack.
At his sentencing, Judge Lady Drummond condemned MacDonald’s actions as “brutal and mindlessly violent”, noting that the victims were attacked in the sanctity of their homes, where they had no opportunity to escape. She stated that MacDonald posed a significant danger to the public and that his actions had left “lifelong consequences” for the victims and their families.
Following the trial, MacDonald’s legal team indicated that he intended to appeal his conviction. However, Scottish court officials confirmed on thursday that his appeal had been refused at the second sift stage—a preliminary legal process where judges assess whether an appeal has any reasonable prospect of success. The decision effectively blocks any further appeal against his conviction.
The family of John MacKinnon welcomed the decision and spoke out about the pain they have endured. In a powerful statement released after MacDonald’s sentencing, Mr MacKinnon’s sisters described the impact of the tragedy on their family and the wider community.
They said: “Today has concluded a long and anguishing wait for justice for our brother John and the surviving victims. It has been a long, dark, heartbreaking road to get here.”
They added: “It should never be forgotten that John was defenceless at the time of his murder, when he was inhumanely shot three times in his own home, while making breakfast for his children—murdered by finlay MacDonald, whose callous and cowardly actions have traumatised all those involved.”
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The family also criticised what they described as the “lies” and “fabrications” told in court by MacDonald and his defence. “To hear the lies spoken about John in court was devastating. Anyone who knew him would recognise this as a complete fabrication,” they said, referring to unchallenged claims made during the trial regarding an old argument dating back to 2013.
Describing John MacKinnon as a loving father, loyal husband and a devoted brother, they said: “John despised bullies and found bullying abhorrent… He was a great man and a friend to all.”
They also expressed sympathy for MacDonald’s own children, now left without a father, while emphasising the profound loss suffered by John’s six children. “John would be so proud and full of admiration for his children who have coped so bravely with such awful adversity. We will never forget the special man he was and he will forever live in our hearts and memories.”
The case shocked the tight-knit communities of Skye and wester ross, where such violence is almost unheard of. As MacDonald begins his decades-long prison sentence, residents hope the conclusion of the legal process will bring some measure of closure to those affected.
