Skye murder trial told of accused's attack on wife

John MacKinnon was shot dead at his home on Skye

The trial of a man accused of murdering his brother-in-law has heard how he repeatedly stabbed his wife in front of their young children on the same day.

Finlay MacDonald, 41, is accused of shooting father-of-six John MacKinnon, 47, at his home on Skye in August 2022.

He is also accused of attempting to murder his wife Rowena MacDonald at their family home on the island, and attempting to murder a couple - Fay and John MacKenzie - at a property in Dornie on the mainland.

Mr MacDonald denies the charges and has lodged a special defence that he was impaired by abnormality of mind.

Mrs MacDonald, 34, told the court her husband repeatedly stabbed her in front of their children at their home in Tarskavaig on the Sleat peninsula after he became suspicious she was having an affair.

The first day of the trial, at the High Court in Edinburgh, was told they had a volatile relationship and he argued constantly.

'Fend off blows'

Mrs MacDonald said she was planning to leave him and had been to view a house and had also contacted support services.

On the morning of 10 August 2022 she said her husband was angry and upset, and had confronted her.

She told the court he had found messages on her phone between herself and a work colleague.

Mrs MacDonald said the messages may have been seen as flirty, but added that she was not looking to have a relationship.

She said he kept shouting: "What's going on?", and then took a knife from his pocket and started stabbing her.

Mrs MacDonald said she tried to fend off the blows and she was screaming.

Their four young children came to the kitchen door and he kept stabbing her as she tried to get out of the house, but the back door was locked.

She told the court she remembered getting to her phone to raise the alarm. Her children were beside her as she became weaker and weaker.

Mrs MacDonald said she could hear her husband making several trips to and from their car before driving off.

She was taken by air ambulance to hospital.

The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues, and is expected to last two weeks.