Scottish dad who killed his own children in 'revenge plot' against wife denied parole
The sick dad stabbed his disabled daughter Michelle, who was 25-years-old at the time, and his seven-year-old son Ryan, to death. The 67-year-old was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the crimes, which he committed in 2008.
His former wife, June, plead with the parole board to deny him his freedom. Her calls were echoed by others in the community, with MP for Glenrothes and Mid Fife Richard Baker now confirming he has not been given parole after writing to the authorities.
READ MORE: Ryanair flight 'utter chaos' as passengers 'jump off wing' with 18 people injured
READ MORE: Edinburgh man was 'spending £400 a month on takeaways' before going on Mounjaro
He said: "Rab Thomson, who killed his son, seven, and disabled daughter in Buckhaven in 2008, has been denied parole.
"My wife, Claire Baker MSP and I, who wrote to the board seeking this outcome, welcome the decision. I'm sure many people in Levenmouth will feel the same."
Thomson is believed to have murdered his children out of cruel revenge on his estranged wife June who left him after 27-years of beatings and rape. In his first official access visit, after June finally plucked up the courage to leave him, he stabbed Ryan 14 times as the little boy played a computer game at the family home in Buckhaven, Fife, on May 3, 2008.
He then turned the knife on Michelle, stabbing her 12 times as she fought for her life, leaving her bedroom like a bloodbath. After murdering his children, Thomson placed each child in bed and posed their bodies like little angels for his wife to find.
Detective Inspector Graham Fenton, one of the detectives in charge of the investigation, said the killer traumatised his family for years. He previously said: "June had been the victim of emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
"None of this was reported to the police, however many victims of domestic violence often suffer in silence."
He added: "When Thomson came into our custody, he was very matter of fact.
"He showed no remorse. In fact, he never asked for his children once. At one stage during the interview, he even refused to sit on the chair in the room. He actually lay on the floor. It appeared to me that this was Thomson trying to exert control over a situation that wasn't his."
Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Last year, a documentary called Britain's Darkest Taboos, that covered the murders showed how Thomson exerted control over his terrified family. Dr Keri Nixon, a leading criminologist told if how Thomson cracked because his image as the perfect family man was destroyed by his split from his wife June.
In film, taken at Christmas 2002 when youngest victim Ryan was not yet two, Thomson's wife June, 54, is heard begging her husband to stop filming but he persists. Dr Nixon said: "He wanted to present a perfect life to the outside world.
"He liked to be respected, he liked to be admired. His wife leaving him was not part of that image. Because he was losing everything, his way of dealing with it was to destroy it."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Colorado stadium worker sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting co-worker
A former Coors Field concession stand worker was sentenced last week for the shooting death of another worker after a Colorado Rockies game four years ago. Javon Price, 25, received life in prison without the possibility of parole from a Denver district court judge on Wednesday. A trial jury convicted Price in May of 1st Degree Murder and 2nd Degree Assault. The judge added another 16 years to the life sentence for the assault charge. That count stemmed from a passer-by's injuries suffered during the fatal shooting. Javon Price following his arrest in August 2021. Denver District Attorney's Office Price, then 21, shot and killed 41-year-old Gregory Hopkins outside Coors Field on Aug. 6, 2021, according to case documents. Another employee told Denver Police Department investigators that Hopkins argued with two other men prior to the baseball game that day. No fans were present at the time, that employee said, and the issue between the men was a woman. Three people stand on a concrete staircase outside Coors Field moments before Gregory Hopkins, a concession worker leaving work, was fatally shot by a co-worker on Aug. 6, 2021. In another surveillance images taken from Coors Field security cameras earlier that day, Javon Price is seen arriving at the stadium. Price was sentenced to life in prison last week for Hopkins's murder. Denver Police Department Hopkins continued working his shift on the third concourse. He was confronted by two men at an employee exit near 22nd Avenue and Wazee Street. Detectives viewed recorded video from a stadium security camera which showed Hopkins arguing at the top of a set of concrete steps with a man in all-black clothing. A second man wearing black pants and a gray hoodie walked up to the pair and shot Hopkins. Hopkins, as described by detectives, ran down the stairs as the second man continued firing gunshots at him. Hopkins dropped his backpack and fell to the ground during his descent. The second man then ran down the stairs and fired another four to five more rounds at Hopkins from approximately five feet away. Detectives checked video recordings from before the game and Aramark employee check-in records, and concluded Price was the second man in the gray hoodie. "This case is yet another example of the tragic consequences that often result when people try to settle arguments with guns," Denver District Attorney John Walsh stated after Price's conviction. " As a result of this verdict, Javon Price will pay a significant price for his actions, as he should." Denver PD arrested a second man for Hopkins's murder in the days after the shooting: Rayvell Powell, who was 30 at the time. Four months after his arrest, Powell was released and the charges against him dismissed. However, a new case against Powell was filed during Price's trial in May. Matt Jablow, a spokesman for the Denver District Attorney's Office, told CBS Colorado the new case is "based on new evidence against Powell. Not evidence from the trial." Documents are presently sealed in the Powell case. He was arrested June 11 but no hearings are scheduled in the matter. Jablow said investigators are working on finding more evidence in the Powell case. Treneil McNeal after his arrest in 2021 (left) and his current profile with the Colorado state prison system. Denver District Attorney's Office/Colorado Department of Correction. Teacia Lovett, the mother of two of Hopkins's children, confirmed that Powell and Hopkins argued over another woman, also a Coors Field concession worker, who was "messing around" with both men. Powell, she told CBS Colorado, asked a third man to bring a gun to Coors Field that night. That man, Treneil McNeal, provided Price the handgun which Price used to shoot Hopkins. DPD detectives were were able to see the exchange in the view of another Coors Field security camera moments before the shooting, according to Price's arrest affidavit. McNeil was sentenced to 40 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for his role in the murder in September 2023. He received an additional 45 years for firing more than 20 rounds toward SWAT officers during his arrest. Gregory Hopkins in a photo taken from his online obituary. Lenwood Jones Funeral Home Lovett said Price and Hopkins were mere acquaintances. Both men had children on the way, she added. "3 years now.. Jays (sic) taller than you," Lovett wrote to Hopkins last year on his obituary page. "[T]ime definitely has not stood still as it doesn't for anyone... but even 3 years ago today our life was the same because we hadn't found out yet. And now nothing is the same. I don't know if you would be there but I get so angry when dads pick their kids up from football camp and it's just me picking Jay up. Like I said I don't know if you would be there but it's the fact that you can't and won't ever be able to. I hate it and I hate this world for it... everything and I mean everything he does is for you. At least it drives him to be accomplished and better... please watch out for these boys because this world sucks more and more everyday. And I can't do this particular thing again... we miss you!!!" Aramark Sports + Entertainment is the contracted company which handles food and beverage services at Coors Field and Empower Field. The employees involved in the shooting were temporary workers provided to Aramark by other staffing companies, according to Price's affidavit.


CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
$10K reward offered for information in fatal shooting of teen girl in Chatham
Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest of the gunmen who shot and killed a teenage girl on Friday night. Meeyah Smith, 16, and a 35-year-old man were in the 1200 block of East 83rd Street just before 11 p.m. when Chicago police said they were approached on foot by an unknown man who pulled out a gun and fired shots in their direction. Both victims were taken to Jackson Park Hospital. Smith was shot in the throat and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the right thigh and is in good condition The Cook County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest of the individuals involved. The public is reminded not to attempt to confront or apprehend suspects, as they should be considered armed and dangerous. Area 2 Detectives are actively investigating the case and are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has information that could help identify the shooter to come forward. Community members can submit tips anonymously at or by email at TIPS@
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man charged in murder investigation after scientist fatally injured on Dundee street
A 20-year-old man has been charged after police launched a murder investigation into the death of a scientist who was found seriously injured on a street in Dundee. Dr Fortune Gomo, 39, had been found in the city's South Road at around 4:25pm on Saturday. Emergency services rushed to the scene but despite treatment from paramedics, the mother who lived in the area was pronounced dead at the scene. The force confirmed a 20-year-old man has been charged in connection to the death. 'A post-mortem has taken place and her death is now being treated as murder,' the force said on Sunday. Detective Superintendent Peter Sharp, the officer in charge of the inquiry, said his thoughts are with Dr Gomo's family. Det Supt Sharp added: 'Our enquiries are continuing and I remain satisfied that the incident poses no wider risk to the public. 'At this early stage of the investigation we are following a number of lines of inquiry.' Ms Machonesa said she and Dr Gomo went their separate ways after their studies. Dr Gomo was an environmental and water resources scientist and her specialisms included water resources management, environmental sustainability, and policy. According to social media, she was employed by Scottish Water in water resources planning. She was awarded a PhD in Geography and Environmental Science from the University of Dundee, where her doctorate looked at the links between the environment and policy making in the Zambezi river basin, particularly in Malawi. After her death, Dr Gomo's high school and university friend paid tribute her 'brilliance in the classroom' which 'was only matched by her emotional intelligence'. Angela Machonesa, who studied with her at Chinhoyi High School and the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe, said in a social media post: 'She was the kind of person you'd go to when you needed clarity, not just of mind, but of heart. She listened. She cared. She uplifted. 'No wonder she went on to earn her PhD. It was only natural. Her path was written in the stars long ago. To serve. To lead. To heal. And she was doing just that. 'But now, that dream, our Fortune's dream, has been violently, senselessly, stolen from us all. She added: 'A child will now grow up without the love and presence of a mother. A family will mourn a daughter who once lit up their home with hope and promise.' A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and the man arrested is to appear at Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday. He said he is 'acutely aware of content circulating on social media' and urged members of the public not to speculate on the circumstances of the incident. There will be an increased police presence in the area. Witnesses and anyone with information on the incident have been asked to contact the force on 101 quoting incident number 2283 of July 5 2025. They can also speak to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.