Father admits knife murders of his two children amid bitter divorce

Published on Friday 12 September 2008 22:09

A FATHER has admitted murdering his disabled daughter and young son before turning a knife on himself in a crime a judge branded "indescribably awful".

Robert Thomson, 50, launched the attack amid fears his estranged wife would leave him with nothing in their divorce, a court heard yesterday.

After discussing with a divorced workmate the pain of living apart from children, he stabbed his daughter, Michelle, 25, who had special needs, and his son, Ryan, seven, repeatedly in separate attacks in their bedrooms, then tried to kill himself.

His older son, Ross, whom he had sent to the shops, returned and sat watching DVDs in his room of their Fife home, unaware of the double killing.

Thomson's wife, June, discovered her children's bodies when she arrived at the house. She checked Ryan's room and found his body lying in his bed.

In a note, Thomson had written: "Ross – goodbye, son. Thanks when I needed you, love dad. June – too much pain, lies and hurt. Don't blame yourself. I will look after them. Just like your mother, move on alone. Love, Rab XXX. Shaun (his other son] – bye, son, had to take a holiday."

The advocate-depute, Kevin McCallum, told the High Court in Edinburgh that Mrs Thomson screamed: "He's killed them."

He added that there was no reference to Michelle or Ryan by name in the note.

Ross Thomson, alerted by her wailing, came out of his room and the police were called to the house in the village of Buckhaven.

Thomson had attempted to cut his wrists and to stab himself in the chest. He had also taken a large number of his dead daughter's epilepsy tablets.

Mr McCallum said Michelle had been stabbed 12 times – seven to the front of her chest and five to her back.

Ryan had sustained 14 stab wounds, 11 to his front and three to the back.

It was believed, the lawyer said, that Ryan had been killed first, attacked near the computer desk in his room and put into his bed. Michelle had been stabbed in her room and, again, put in her bed.

"It seems the killings took place in the period between 4pm and 5:30pm, when Ross Thomson was at Asda in Kirkcaldy. It appears the accused's infliction of injuries on himself took place at some point after Ross had left the house again to pick up his girlfriend," said Mr McCallum.

In hospital, Thomson told a psychiatrist he could not remember the incident, but had wanted "to go with his children" and to kill himself.

Following the deaths, he had been detained in the state hospital in Carstairs, but psychiatrists reported that he was sane and did not suffer from mental illness.

His son, Ross, visited him in prison, and Thomson said: "I wasn't doing it out of badness, I was trying to kill myself as well."

Thomson, a digger driver, admitted murdering Michelle, who had a younger mental age than her 25 years, and Ryan at the home in Buckhaven, Fife, on 3 May. He will be sentenced next month.

Members of the family attended court but left without commenting.

'She's screwed me' – twisted justification for double killing

RAB and June Thomson married in 1981 and had four children. The eldest, Shaun, had left home to join the army, and Michelle, Ross, 20, and Ryan continued to live with their parents until they separated.

Ross remained with his father in Buckhaven, Fife, and Mrs Thomson went with Michelle and Ryan to nearby Methil. Mrs Thomson started divorce proceedings, seeking a payment of 50,000 and 250 a week alimony, and also an order that Ryan live with her. She was granted interim care and control of Ryan at a hearing in April and the order was confirmed at another hearing on the day before the murders.

"The accused clearly reacted badly to events from March onwards and the break-up of the marriage and divorce," advocate-depute, Kevin McCallum, told the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

"It is clear from conversations he had with others that he was exercised by the fact he might lose custody of his children and that he would stand to lose financially from the divorce."

Thomson had told his brother that his wife was "leaving him with nothing", and remarked to a workmate that she had "got the lot" and had "screwed" him. On the morning of 3 May, Thomson discussed with the workmate how he had coped with the pain of separation from his children. Later, the workmate told police: "Nothing suggested to me that he was going to crack up or do anything stupid."

That afternoon, Thomson was looking after Michelle and Ryan while his wife moved into a new home in Markinch.

Relatives said he appeared to be in a very bad mood, and his body language and eyes implied he was furious with his wife.