The parents of Angus murder victim Steven Donaldson say “there is no justice” if their son’s killer is allowed to walk free halfway through her sentence.
Tasmin Glass was convicted of culpable homicide in 2019 for her role in the brutal Kirriemuir murder of Steven Donaldson and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
But next week she will go before the Parole Board for Scotland in a bid to win early freedom after serving just five years.
In their first interview about the upcoming parole hearing, Bill and Pam Donaldson say they fear Glass will be released as they back our A Voice for Victims campaign.
Bill Donaldson, Steven’s dad, told The Courier: “Our sentence is for life, we will never be set free.
“But that person could be told in only two weeks that she is being released from prison – there is no justice there.
“That is absolutely not right.”
‘I will always be angry,’ Steven Donaldson’s dad
Bill described Glass and her co-accused Steven Dickie and Callum Davidson as “evil monsters”.
Dickie and Davidson were both convicted of murder and given life sentences.
Dickie took his own life in Perth Prison in 2019.
“Steven was our fun-loving, hard-working boy, a great son and friend to everybody – he died at the hands of evil monsters,” said Bill.
“I will always be angry, more than anything I want people to understand that.
“How could a small, quiet town like Kirrie produce three such evil monsters?
“For a while I wouldn’t have cared if Kirrie had been blown up, I’ve got over that now but it stayed with me for a long time.”
Steven’s mum, Pam Donaldson, believes Glass played a pivotal role in her son’s death.
She told The Courier: “That girl came to my house and she played a key role in killing my son.
“I want no apology from her and I have nothing to say to her.”
It’s a belief backed up by the findings of Lord Brodie, who was one of three judges to reject Glass’ 2019 appeal to reduce her sentence.
“She was the prime mover behind the assaults on the deceased,” said Lord Brodie.
Donaldson family back Courier campaign
Angry with how they have been treated within the parole system, Steven’s parents have backed The Courier’s campaign, A Voice for Victims.
Our campaign wants to overhaul parole hearings in Scotland to put victims first and make proceedings more transparent.
We also believe Tasmin Glass should be refused parole and remain in prison.
One of our aims is to ask the Scottish Government to re-consider automatic parole hearings halfway through sentences for those who have committed the most heinous of crimes.
That is a reform both parents believe strongly in.
Bill also wants trials reformed so that the most serious of crimes are decided by a panel of judges or a trained jury who could better understand the evidence of a case.
‘Unthinkable’ that Glass would return to Angus
Pam and Bill both fear Glass will be released on parole having served just five years for killing their son.
Steven’s dad says he has no idea what he would do if he came face-to-face with her again.
“I know what I would like to do but I don’t know what I actually would do,” he said.
“We go to towns all over Angus and I work in Dundee – there is every likelihood that if she is released and allowed to remain local that we could come across her.
“That is unthinkable.”
The battered and burned body of Steven Donaldson was discovered next to his car at Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve, near Kirriemuir, on June 7 2018.
He had been assaulted at the town’s Peter Pan playpark by Davidson and Dickie, who then drove him to the nature reserve where they killed him with a bladed weapon.
Glass was convicted of instigating and planning the attack.
Full details of the Voice for Victims campaign can be found here.
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