A violent criminal who killed his girlfriend because he thought she was having an affair has been housed in a west Fife village following his release from prison provoking a furious response from frightened locals.
David Craigie (28) lashed Sonya Todd (21) “unrecognisable” with a metal dog chain during a remorseless five-hour assault at their home in Methil, only stopping to scrawl a sick message on her arm about her supposed lover.
The young mum’s body was so badly injured pathologists could not count the bruises. Among the wounds were marks caused by the links of the leash the drug user kept for his rottweiler.
Craigie was initially charged with murder but later admitted culpable homicide after evidence emerged that Ms Todd’s diabetes was a factor in her death.
He was sentenced to six years in September 2008 but has since been released and handed the keys to a council house in High Valleyfield.
The local community council held an “emergency meeting” to discuss the development after members were contacted by terrified residents who want him out.
Chairman Johnstone Little said: “People have been coming to me saying they’re very concerned about it. One lassie has moved out of her house with her two bairns. She’s staying at her dad’s now. She told me she’s scared.
“A lot of people wanted to come tonight and we told them that the community council will sort it out. But if it isn’t sorted out then we’ll call a big public meeting and everyone will come. That’s what we’ll be doing, without any doubt.
“We would prefer it if the council just moves him somewhere else. That’s the reason why we’re having this emergency meeting.”
Councillor Alice Callaghan, who was at the meeting, said: “It’s a problem now because everyone knows he’s here they’ve been sharing it on Facebook.”
A 2008 trial at the High Court in Edinburgh heard that Craigie’s sustained assault on Ms Todd involved scratching, biting, punching and kicking, as well as a brutal whipping with a metal dog chain.
However, Lord Kinclaven concluded there was no evidence that the horrendous injuries Craigie inflicted would normally have led to death.
The court heard Ms Todd had been an insulin-dependent diabetic since the age of nine and her poorly-controlled condition had led to previous hospital admissions.
Speaking after Craigie was sentenced to six years, Ms Todd’s heartbroken father George said: “The fact that he’s only pled guilty to culpable homicide is gnawing at me. He beat her for hours and used a dog lead that has to be murder.”
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Concerns were raised at the emergency community council meeting that some locals are now considering taking justice into their own hands.
Mr Little said: “The feedback I’ve been getting is that some of the young lads are thinking of putting his windows in and I don’t want that. I don’t want them getting into bother because of him.
“The police are always saying we can’t do anything without the public. Well, it should work the other way as well. When this lad was being moved into the village I would have thought they would have let us know.”
Community police officer Alan Davidson said he could only take action if Craigie reoffended.
“As far as him being housed here, that isn’t really a matter for us,” he told the meeting. “We would only get involved if something does happen if a crime is committed.”
The community council chairman went on to hit out at the local authority.
“It seems that the council is bringing anyone they like into this village,” Mr Little told the meeting. “We’re getting all the people who are unwanted. The council are using this village as a dumping ground for criminals and we want this guy out.”
Councillor Callaghan suggested some offenders were given priority over local people in need of housing.
She said: “There are young lassies in the village with two or three bairns and I can’t get housing for them. I’ve got elderly people too. It’s just sad that they’re being deprived of housing.
“I visited an old woman in the village on Friday and she’s scared because the house next to hers has become empty. She’s actually terrified of who the council will move in there.”
The council’s local housing officer was due to attend the meeting but he did not appear.
Osato Osaghae, area housing and neighbourhoods services manager, said: “Unfortunately there was a misunderstanding, on our part, surrounding the date of the meeting with the community council. It would have very much been my intention to attend such a meeting.
“I am aware of the housing concern raised by the community council and will be contacting both Councillor Alice Callaghan and the community council to discuss it in more detail.”
Meanwhile, the council has denied operating a housing policy which offers “discretionary or priority allocations” to criminals released from prison.
Senior housing access manager John Mills said: “The council’s policy is linked to the Fife Housing Register Partnership’s Common Assessment of Need or allocations points system.
“Ex-offenders are normally housed as statutorily homeless people and treated as other homeless persons or, increasingly, as part of our Prevention of Homelessness approach, under the Independent Living Category from the Housing List.”
He added: “Where we have the relevant information on the residence of victims of crimes, the council does take account of the past offences of an offender and ensures that an offender is not re-located near to them.”
The Courier approached David Craigie and invited him to comment, but he declined.