Woman killed man, 97, after demanding money from him

Tandy Swinton previously served a prison sentence for threatening to stab and kill William Lambie

A serial criminal has been found guilty of killing a 97-year-old man after demanding money from him in his home.

Tandy Swinton, 44, was convicted of the culpable homicide of William Lambie, who died five weeks after he was attacked in his Dundee flat in April last year.

Swinton had pushed Mr Lambie, who weighed five stones when he died, causing him to fall to the floor and sustain serious injuries in the fatal attack in April 2024.

She was originally charged with murder, but was convicted of the lesser offence following a four-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Tandy Swinton attacked William Lambie at a flat in Dryburgh Gardens in Dundee

Following the verdict, the High Court in Edinburgh was told Swinton had a previous conviction for threatening to stab and kill Mr Lambie four years earlier.

Swinton will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on 5 December.

During proceedings, the court heard friends of Mr Lambie tell the jury that he was a devout Christian who would quote Shakespeare and was an inspiration to fellow members of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Dundee.

The court also heard that he was fond of simple pleasures like going with his friends to a local branch of Greggs for a sausage roll and a cappuccino.

The trial was told that Mr Lambie underwent surgery at the city's Ninewells Hospital following the attack and was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation, but later went to a nursing home before he died on 26 May last year.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson KC said that a jail sentence of "great significance" would be imposed on Swinton.

Following the verdict, the court was told that Swinton had 26 previous convictions for offences including theft, shoplifting, assault and robbery.

The court heard Swinton was previously jailed for three years for attacking Mr Lambie in 2020, when she told him she had a knife and threatened to kill him, before robbing him of £100.

She was jailed again for 18 months after demanding that another pensioner, then aged 81, go with her to a bank and withdraw £300 for her in 2022.

Trial judge Lord Harrower told Swinton: "I am well aware that no sentence of this court can alleviate the suffering currently being felt by those closest to Mr Lambie.

"I am concerned, not least from the extensive record of previous convictions which has been tendered this morning, that your offending has increased in severity in most recent years."

Lord Harrower continued the case for the preparation of a background report and remanded Swinton in custody.