The deferral of Angus killer Tasmin Glass’ parole bid has been slammed as “appalling”.
Liam Kerr, justice spokesperson for the Conservatives, criticised the treatment of her victim’s family, the Donaldsons, during the process.
Glass’ latest parole bid was deferred on Wednesday after the board failed to reach a decision following her recall to prison.
It will now be around six to eight weeks before the case is considered again by the board at an oral hearing.
Mr Kerr told The Courier: “It is appalling that this family have once again been left in limbo.
“After first having to suffer through Tasmin Glass being released only halfway through her sentence, this decision will only add to their trauma.
“It looks as though the needs of a cold-blooded killer are being put above those of the victims’ family which is all too often the case in the SNP’s soft-touch justice system.
“Steven Donaldson’s family deserve to be treated much better than this and for parole decisions to stop being kicked into the long grass.”
The North East MSP’s words reflect the feelings of Steven’s dad Bill when he learned the case had been pushed on.
He called the situation “a nonsense”.
“This means this is, yet again, going to drag on for us,” Bill told The Courier.
“We now have to go through the entire procedure yet again.
“We can take comfort from the fact she currently remains in prison but how much longer do we have to deal with this.
“Yet again Glass seems to be dictating terms.”
Glass was convicted of culpable homicide in 2019 for her “pivotal role” in the murder of Steven and sentenced to 10-years in prison.
Last July, halfway through her term, the killer was granted her freedom.
The Donaldson family were left in limbo twice during that time thanks to deferrals by the board.
Nine months after being paroled, Glass was back in jail after breaking the conditions of her release.
Through our A Voice for Victims campaign, The Courier has been working with families like the Donaldsons to bring reforms to the Scottish parole system.
We want more transparency, better communication for victims and a rethink on automatic parole consideration for violent offenders halfway through their sentence.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our sympathies remain with the loved ones of Steven Donaldson for the anguish they have endured.
“Decisions on release in any given case are always a matter for the independent parole board based on the individual facts and circumstances, with a clear assessment of risk.
“We will be consulting on parole system reforms in Scotland in August.
“This will include consideration of points raised by victims of their experiences of the parole system, including information that is made available to them throughout the process.”
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