By Bruce Fegen

THE CROWN are to appeal against the sentence handed out to the man who murdered his estranged wife and her new boy friend as they relaxed in a garden hot tub in Leslie.

Shaun Alexander was jailed for life last month after admitting stabbing Nicola Johnston (23) and Kevin Braid (41) on October 10, with judge Lady Smith stating he should serve a minimum of 17 years.

But the sentence for the double murder provoked outrage when Lady Smith told Alexander that the minimum term would have been 24 years had it not been for his guilty plea, with Kevin’s family in particular highly critical at the apparent leniency.

His father Mev slammed the sentence as “an insult” and said at the time that he had expected the killer to get 30 years.

The family wrote to the Crown Office to express their disgust, and now the Lord Advocate has backed their concern.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office said yesterday, “The Lord Advocate has lodged an appeal against the 17-year punishment part of the life sentence imposed on Shaun Alexander for the murder of Nicola Johnston or Alexander and of Kevin Braid.

“It is expected that this will be heard by the Appeal Court in Edinburgh in due course.”

The punishment part of a life sentence is the minimum term that must be served before a prisoner is considered by the Parole Board for release on licence and the Lord Advocate has the right of appeal on the grounds that it is unduly lenient.

Last night, Kevin’s mother Ena Braid welcomed the appeal.

“We have wanted this and we are very pleased. We have always said that 17 years was not long enough for what he did and are happy that the Lord Advocate has appealed,” she said.

Mrs Braid, who when sentence was passed said she was “horrified” at the leniency, added, “I do not know how long Alexander should serve, we will just have to wait and see the result of the appeal.”