The complete version of an official report concerning a murderer who assaulted a woman while on temporary release from prison will stay concealed, with authorities invoking privacy protections for the perpetrator. Robbie McIntosh, aged 39, brutally attacked grandmother Linda McDonald, 60, using a dumbbell merely five days after being granted home leave.
Victim's Fight for Information Meets Blank Pages
Mrs McDonald revealed she had campaigned for years to obtain the critical incident review, but upon receiving it last week, discovered nearly every section had been blacked out. McIntosh carried out the assault while on home leave from jail, where he was already serving a life sentence for a previous murder conviction.
Political Outcry Over Lack of Transparency
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr condemned the situation as 'just the latest cruel blow' for the McDonald family. He stated: 'John Swinney promised transparency, but has delivered a farce. Absolutely everyone could have seen that Robbie McIntosh should never have been let out to prey on another woman. There is no justice for victims in these redactions, only more thick black ink hiding the truth, covering the facts, and masking the failures.'
Linda McDonald expressed feeling 'absolutely sick' when she viewed the heavily censored document. In a letter accompanying the report, Sarah Angus, the Scottish Prison Service director of policy, informed Mrs McDonald that the 'significant redactions' were necessary due to data protection regulations.
Historical Context and Legal Barriers
Back in 2018, media outlets requested the same critical incident review under freedom of information laws, but prison authorities maintained the document was 'biographical and concerns the management of Mr McIntosh', therefore could not be disclosed for data protection reasons. The Scottish Prison Service has extended an offer to Mrs McDonald for a meeting to explain the rationale behind the redactions.
Victim's Trauma and Quest for Closure
Mrs McDonald was walking her dog in Dundee's Templeton Woods when McIntosh charged towards her and began beating her with a dumbbell. The assault only ceased when two bystanders intervened to assist her. At the time of the August 2017 attack, McIntosh was serving life for stabbing another woman to death on Dundee Law sixteen years earlier. He was under consideration for parole in that case and had been permitted home leave as part of the preparation process.
Speaking to the BBC, Mrs McDonald said: 'They say that they are trauma-informed, but they're obviously not aware that the person opening that is going to see sheet after sheet of blank paper. It's important for me for closure, it's important for me to have every piece of paper, every piece of information, no matter how good or bad. It's not me being over-sensitive, it's not my PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], it's not me just being the grumpy old woman.' She confirmed she would accept the SPS's meeting offer.
Official Responses and Government Position
An SPS spokesperson commented: 'We recognise the devastating and lasting impact of crimes of this nature. We always seek to be as open and transparent as possible while also upholding our legal obligation to safeguard personal information. We have also written to Mrs McDonald offering to meet with her and answer any questions we can.'
A Scottish Government spokesperson added: 'We understand that this will be an incredibly upsetting and frustrating time for Linda McDonald and her husband. After meeting with Ms McDonald to hear about her devastating and traumatic case, the First Minister has since written to her to respond to her questions about accessing the incident report. The First Minister appreciates that there are legal limits that the Prison Service are not permitted to breach but wants the maximum transparency in this case.'
