A man accused of murdering his brother-in-law in a shooting on Skye launched a brutal knife attack on his wife after he discovered messages on her phone with a work colleague, a court has heard.
Finlay MacDonald is standing trial for the murder of John MacKinnon, 47, at his home in the village of Teangue in August 2022.
He is also accused of attempting to murder his wife, Rowena MacDonald, at an address in the village of Tarskavaig on the same day, August 10, as well as Dornie couple Fay and John MacKenzie.
On day one of his trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, Mrs MacDonald, 34, said her 41-year-old husband was “upset and angry” after reading the texts and added: “He thought I was having an affair.”
She told the jury: “He kept saying ‘What’s this. What’s going on?’.”
The mother-of-four said she was getting ready to leave for work at the family home in Skye when she discovered he had taken pictures with his phone of messages on her phone from a colleague.
She said it probably did come across as “a little flirty” but she was not looking for a relationship with him and regarded him as a friend.
Advocate depute Liam Ewing KC asked if they were just friends or more than friends and she replied: “Just friends.”
She said: “I said I wasn’t in any other relationship with anybody.
“He did seem to momentarily settle and put his phone in his pocket but it was shortly after he pulled out his knife from his pocket and started stabbing me.”
‘He stabbed me anywhere he could’
She said MacDonald unfolded the knife and began using it to attack her.
She was asked where he stabbed her and replied: “Everywhere he could.”
She said: “I was absolutely terrified. It just kept coming and coming.”
“I screamed. The children came to the door from the living room and saw it.”
She tried to get away but said her husband followed her and stabbed her in the back and she found the rear door of the property locked.
The attack continued and she said she was bleeding a lot but managed to get outside.
She made a 999 call and her daughter, who was eight, followed her outside and took over, with the handler telling the child to keep speaking to her mother.
Her husband drove off and paramedics and police arrived at the house and she was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Glasgow.
Marine engineer denies charges
She said at the time of the attack on her her husband, a marine engineer, was off work.
She said their relationship was not in a good place and she was planning to move out of the then family home.
MacDonald is accused of attempting to murder his wife by struggling with her and repeatedly stabbing her on the body with a knife to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment and to the danger of her life.
He is also accused of murdering his brother-in-law John MacKinnon on the same day after repeatedly discharging a shotgun at him and striking him on the body.
MacDonald also denies attempting to murder Fay MacKenzie at her home in the mainland Ross-shire village of Dornie on the same date by repeatedly firing a shotgun at her, striking her on the head and body to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of her life.
Special defence lodged
It’s alleged he also tried to murder Mrs MacKenzie’s husband John in the same manner, discharging a shotgun at him, striking him on the body to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and to the danger of his life.
MacDonald faces a further charge under the Firearms Act that on August 10 in 2022 at addresses in the Skye villages and at the house in Dornie and elsewhere he possessed a shotgun with intent to endanger life.
MacDonald has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has lodged a special defence to the murder charge maintaining that at the time his ability to determine or control his conduct was substantially impaired by abnormality of mind.
The trial before judge Lady Drummond continues.