Woman who planned ex-boyfriend's murder to be considered for parole

Tasmin Glass was jailed for ten years after planning and instigating the murder of Steven Donaldson in Angus.

Tasmin Glass who planned ex-boyfriend Steven Donaldson’s murder in Angus to be considered for paroleContributed

A woman jailed for instigating and planning the brutal murder of her ex-boyfriend will bid for freedom at a parole hearing on Wednesday.

Tasmin Glass is scheduled to appear before the Parole Board for Scotland, less than five years after she was jailed for her role in the murder of 27-year-old oil worker Steven Donaldson.

Glass, then aged 20, lured Mr Donaldson, who was the father of her unborn child, to a deadly rendezvous where she had arranged for two accomplices to carry out an attack in Kirriemuir.

Two men – Callum Davidson and Steven Dickie – were convicted of murder, while Glass was found guilty of culpable homicide.

She may serve just half of her ten-year jail sentence if the board finds in her favour.

Steven DonaldsonSTV News

Mr Donaldson’s family said they were “disgusted” after being notified about Glass’ eligibility for parole in May this year.

They were consulted over whether she should be released halfway through her sentence ahead of Wednesday’s hearing.

In a statement to STV News, Mr Donaldson’s family said: “We were contacted by the Victim Notification Scheme towards the end of last year and informed that Glass is eligible for parole as early as the spring of this year.

“We were given until January 5 to submit our position on this.

“We have responded, objecting in the strongest possible terms to any bid to free her at this stage in her sentence.

“We do not believe she should be granted parole given the significance of the crime she committed and the impact it has had on us as a family and on the wider community.”

Dickie and Davidson attacked Mr Donaldson after he had arranged to meet Glass, believing they would be meeting to discuss their relationship.

Mr Donaldson, 27, was initially attacked at the Peter Pan children’s play park at Kirriemuir, before he was transported to the nearby Kinnordy Nature Reserve.

There, he was hit again on the head and body with a knife and a baseball bat and was repeatedly struck on the neck with a heavy, bladed weapon before his car was set on fire.

The Donaldson family statement added: “We are disgusted she will be eligible for parole and we have made our feelings known in our response.

“We said last year that we felt the fact that she was getting day release was completely disrespectful to Steven and his family, and suggests that his life was not valued.

“That remains our position. The severity of the crime is such that we do not believe that anyone who is convicted of such a crime can be within our community after such a short time.”

One of the men convicted for murdering Mr Donaldson – Steven Dickie – took his own life in prison in 2019.

The Scottish Prison Service confirmed that Dickie had died at HMP Perth.

On the same day that Dickie was found dead, appeal judges rejected an appeal from Glass against her sentence.

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