A murderer who tried to kill a Dundee grandmother will not be released following a parole hearing.
Robbie McIntosh was automatically granted the review on Monday after serving five years in jail following his attack on Linda McDonald in August 2017.
Both McIntosh and Linda, 57, attended the virtual Scottish Parole Board hearing.
They were at separate venues and Linda was there as a silent observer.
McIntosh did not make bid for release
The Courier can now reveal that McIntosh’s legal representative did not make an application for release at the hearing, meaning he will remain in prison for at least another two years.
Linda signed a confidentiality agreement where she cannot disclose what took place.
However, after the decision was confirmed, she told The Courier: “I only decided at the last minute to attend the virtual hearing.
“I had support with me for the duration.
“This was basically procedural – a tick-box exercise.
“I finally decided to go along because I was confident that he would not be granted parole.
“How could someone who tried to kill me while out on home leave be granted parole?
“I knew within minutes of the process starting that everything was going to be OK.
“I felt it in my gut that the outcome would be good.”
McIntosh was on home leave while serving his sentence for the murder of Anne Nicoll in 2002 when he battered Linda with a dumbbell in Templeton Woods.
After admitting attempted murder, he was sentenced to a lifelong restriction order with a minimum of five years before he could be considered for release on licence.
In an unusual move, the Scottish Parole Board has publicly revealed the outcome of McIntosh’s hearing due to the interest in the case.
Normally an anonymised summary of decisions is published within 20 working days of the hearing.
In light of considerable interest in the parole tribunal of Mr Robbie McIntosh the Board can advise that the tribunal decided not to direct his release. The case will be reviewed in two years.
— Parole Board for Scotland (@ParoleBoardScot) August 9, 2022
Linda says the decision means others in the community can feel reassured that McIntosh is remaining locked up.
She said: “I feel no fear and nor should others. I felt no fear during the hearing.
“I am not afraid of him. The parole hearing was cathartic for me.
“My main hope is that other will also feel reassured by the outcome.
“I feel pity for him. I do not fear him or anything.”
Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservatives MSP for north-east Scotland, said: “This hearing was a matter of overwhelming public interest, and the parole board’s decision to publicise its outcome was the correct one.
“Two days after the fifth anniversary of the brutal attack on Linda, two families are still in the dark as to what the future holds.
“I believe that in this case, the lifelong restriction order really must mean life -it is the only way that these families will get to move on with their lives.”
What next for Linda McDonald?
Although she could only observe the hearing, Linda previously wrote to the parole board explaining why she felt McIntosh should be kept behind bars.
The letter said: “Whilst acknowledging that people who commit crimes have certain rights, there are individuals like McIntosh who require, indeed need, to be incarcerated for life to keep the public safe.”
Linda says her focus is now on protecting others from similar criminals through her Justice4Linda campaign – which is calling for tighter measures to ensure high-risk offenders are better monitored.
A review into what went wrong with McIntosh’s case was released in 2019.
It found a psychological assessment of McIntosh carried out in 2012 indicated a high risk of reoffending.
However, the report added his attack on Linda “could not have been predicted”.
Conversation