Margaret was hit by a car, then reversed over as she lay dying in the street – now her murderer faces life in prison

Published on Monday 15 December 2008 21:22

A WOMAN is facing life imprisonment after she was found guilty of the hit-and-run murder of a mother of three.

Rona MacKenzie, 46, had denied deliberately hitting Margaret Borris, 39, with a car and reversing over her in Paisley's King Street in July.

She also denied attempting to defeat the ends of justice by dumping the car in a reservoir near Beith, Ayrshire.

But it took a jury only 90 minutes yesterday to find her guilty of both charges at the High Court in Glasgow.

The judge, Lady Dorrian, told MacKenzie: "There is only one sentence I can pass – a life sentence."

The court had heard how trouble between the two women – who had both had children by 50-year-old James Wandrum – was sparked when his dog was injured while Mrs Borris was walking it.

During a chance sighting on 7 July, MacKenzie lost her temper with Ms Borris, drove at her and then reversed the car over her.

The court heard that afterwards, MacKenzie tried to cover up the crime by driving the car to the reservoir and dumping it. The partly submerged vehicle was later found by an angler who contacted the police.

Kevin McCallum, prosecuting, said: "Mrs Borris has left three children, one of whom is only three years of age. A variety of family members are doing their best to care for them."

He revealed that MacKenzie had a number of convictions for breach of the peace and had served three months in prison for a drugs offence in 1990.

As she was led away, MacKenzie showed no emotion, but members of her family sobbed in court.

During the trial, witnesses who watched the horrific event said MacKenzie appeared "as cool as a cucumber" and "unemotional".

Hours after killing Mrs Borris, MacKenzie boasted to her boyfriend, Robert Mullen: "I just put it into first and drove over her."

Mr Mullen, 50, said MacKenzie had told him Mrs Borris had sniggered at her.

He told the court: "Rona told me she had knocked her down. I said who, and she said, 'that Maggie one'.

"I told her I thought Maggie was dead. She said that the lassie was Maggie and she had pushed the front of her car and sniggered at her. She gave her a wee bump with the car. She said Maggie sniggered again so she just put it into first and drove over her."

The court was also played a tape recording of a phone conversation just days after the murder between MacKenzie and her son James Wandrum jnr, who died a few weeks ago.

During the call, MacKenzie, then in Cornton Vale prison near Stirling, told her son: "I sorted it because she was laughing in the background like Myra Hindley."

The court heard that trouble between the two women had been sparked by a dog being knocked down and injuring its paw.

MacKenzie was angry because Mrs Borris, who had been walking James Wandrum snr's white alsatian, Cupar, let him off the lead and he was hit by a car.

MacKenzie first tackled Mrs Borris about this on 14 June. When she then saw the other woman by chance on 7 July, she lost her temper and drove at her.

MacKenzie was also convicted of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by dumping the car.

The two women both had children by James Wandrum. He is the father of Mrs Borris's three children, aged 20, 12 and three. The couple had been in a relationship for 20 years but split up months before Mrs Borris died.

MacKenzie and Mr Wandrum had a relationship about 30 years ago and had a son, James, who died recently.

Throughout her trial, MacKenzie denied murdering Mrs Borris and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by dumping the car.

The victim's family were in court but were too upset to comment afterwards.