The murder trial of Finlay MacDonald, 41, in front of judge Lady Drummond, is about to continue. Expert witness and consultant forensic, psychiatrist, Dr Alastair Morris said Finlay MacDonald suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and a depressive disorder. MacDonald is accused of attempting to murder his wife Rowena MacDonald, 34, on 10 August 2022 at the family home at Tarskavaig, Skye, by continuously stabbing her.
He is also accused of murdering his brother in-law, Mr. MacKinnon with a shotgun on the same day at his home on Teangue, Skye and the attempted murder of three other people on 10 August 2022.
He stated that during his osteopathy treatment with Mr. MacKenzie, he experienced "brutal manipulation" that caused him to be in a state of "chronic pain."
He stated that this had caused him spinal issues, which he felt had deprived him of opportunities in life.
MacDonald informed the police about the effect his waning mental and physical health had on his marriage.According to him, his health problems had made his wife "very resentful," and as a result, she had become emotionally distant. He said she had gone so far as to tell him she didn't love him anymore.
The person being accused said that on the morning of the attacks he had become "suspicious" concerning his wife and had looked at her phone. He claimed to have read text messages between his wife and her boss, in which his wife said she was planning to leave him.
Prior to confronting Mrs. MacDonald, he used his phone to capture images of the texts.
MacDonald said his wife attempted to take his cellphone, and that the two struggled before he fatally stabbed her. In the interview, he said, "I had just a moment of madness, and then I saw what I had done, and I just collapsed."
He asserted that he had no idea what he was planning to do when he got into his car with a shotgun, "a couple of hundred" cartridges, and a knife. But he started to mull over complaints he had not just with his brother-in-law, but also with his osteopath.
He first went to the house of Mr. McKinnon. There, he confronted McKinnon and told him that he had been bullying him and that he was horrible to him. This was the essence of what the defendant told the police after his arrest.
He recounted how his brother-in-law "came towards" him and how he shot him—twice, he said, once in the front and once in the side.
Earlier, the court had been informed that the marine engineer has autism. Dr. Morris was queried about a portion from a report generated by a psychologist.
In connection with the alleged crimes, he said Mr. MacDonald was said to have autism, but it was not at a level or degree that would prevent a person from understanding the difference between right and wrong or from controlling one's actions.
By Eddie Price
https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/become-a-psychiatrist/choose-psychiatry/what-is-psychiatry/types-of-psychiatrist/forensic-psychiatry
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