'No warning signs' that killer would carry out brutal attack on home leave
- Published
McIntosh was convicted last year of the attempted murder of Linda McDonald
There were no warning signs to predict that a convicted killer would carry out a brutal attack on a woman while on home leave, a review has found.
Robbie McIntosh, 32, battered Linda McDonald with a dumbbell in Templeton Woods, Dundee, in August 2017.
McIntosh had been jailed for life in 2002 for stabbing a dog walker to death on Dundee Law when he was 15 years old.
He was being prepared for possible release on parole at the time of the 2017 attack.
A multi-agency report, external said McIntosh had not shown any "violent behaviours or attitudes" that would have suggested an attack was imminent or could have been predicted.
However, it said there were flaws within the balance of information shared to assess risk, particularly from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to Scottish Ministers when seeking approval for home leave.
Linda McDonald sustained two skull fractures in the attack
The report said that although McIntosh was subject to a number of standard and additional licence conditions, the level of monitoring was "less than what might be considered reasonable".
It noted that a fiction book about a lone male who attacked females in wooded areas was found in McIntosh's cell after the crime.
The report made 10 recommendations, including for the SPS to review the information which is "available and considered" during risk management team meetings.
The review was carried out by the multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa), which includes members from the police, local authorities, health board and the SPS.
It was commissioned to consider the circumstances of McIntosh's offence and identify "any necessary improvements to public protection arrangements".
McIntosh was jailed for life in 2002 for stabbing Anne Nicoll to death
The report said McIntosh's "positive behaviour" in prison and on community leave constituted "relevant evidence" that supported the decisions to increase his community access.
It said there were subsequent flaws in the meeting structure that divided tasks between the SPS risk management team and Mappa.
This resulted in neither of them being able to take full responsibility for compiling a "structured and fully-defensible risk management plan."
The SPS said it accepted all the relevant recommendations "without reservation".
At the time of the attack in 2017, McIntosh had been allowed home leave in preparation for being considered for parole.
He had been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison in 2002 after being found guilty of murder.
McIntosh stabbed 34-year-old civil servant Anne Nicoll almost 30 times during the attack in Dundee in 2001.
Linda McDonald had been walking her dog in Tempeton Woods in August 2017 when she was attacked by McIntosh.
He fled after being disturbed by two dog walkers who had heard Mrs McDonald screaming. She sustained multiple injuries including two skull fractures.
McIntosh admitted attempted murder and was given an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR), which means he will be supervised for the rest of his life.
Mrs McDonald's husband Matthew has criticised the decision to grant McIntosh home leave and said the attack had "turned our family's life upside down".