A house in Fife where a father murdered his two children will almost certainly be flattened in the coming months, after its repossession by the bank.
The property at Muiredge Cottages in Buckhaven has remained boarded up for the past three years, after the bodies of Michelle (25) and seven-year-old Ryan Thomson were discovered in their bedrooms on May 3, 2008.
Their father Robert had stabbed them a total of 26 times in separate attacks before botching an attempt to kill himself, while his estranged wife and the children’s mother, June, was left to face the harrowing sight when she returned to the family home a short time later.
While the horrific incident shocked the country, Fife Council has confirmed that moves are now afoot to demolish the house and hopefully give the Buckhaven community and the Thomson family some sort of closure.
It is understood that the property, which was jointly owned by Mr and Mrs Thomson, will be repossessed by the Royal Bank of Scotland over mortgage arrears, despite Mr Thomson trying to retain his share from prison, and the council is now keen to put the land to good use.
Robin Presswood, a senior manager with the council’s development services, outlined the way forward for the property and the area.
“We are conscious of the tragic circumstances surrounding this property and the council is currently exploring the possibility of acquiring this site,” he said.
“We would hope to demolish the property to remove the potential for a continued blight on the local area. Landscaping of the site would then take place.”
“In the longer term, part of the land may be used to help improve road access in the area.”
Thomson is serving a minimum of 17 years in prison for the double murder of his disabled daughter Michelle and son Ryan.
On the day of the killings, he had sent his elder son Ross on an errand before murdering his children, while Ross later returned home and watched DVDs in his room unaware of the killings.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard that Thomson had reacted badly to the break-up of his 27-year marriage. He left a suicide note saying there was “too much pain, lies and hurt” but told his wife not to blame herself.
Thomson was sentenced to life imprisonment but there was anger locally last year when judges decided not to increase the minimum term Thomson will serve before the Crown considers parole, despite an appeal.
The minimum sentence had been cut from 21 years to 17 years because Thomson had pled guilty to the double slaying, but Lord Osborne ruled the deaths were “a domestic tragedy” and decided that the sentence imposed on digger driver Thomson was not unduly lenient.
Mrs Thomson has not returned to the property and could not be contacted by The Courier, although she has been said to want it demolished.