Woman found guilty of killing frail 97-year-old man after attacking him in his Dundee home

A woman has been found guilty of killing a frail 97-year-old pensioner in an attack at his home.

Tandy Swinton, 44, was acquitted of the murder of William Lambie but was convicted of the lesser offence of culpable homicide following the assault on the victim she had previously targeted.

Swinton had demanded money from Mr Lambie – who weighed five stone when he died – and pushed him on the body resulting in him following to the floor and sustaining serious injury in the fatal attack at his flat in Dundee on April 15 last year.

Mr Lambie underwent surgery at the city’s Ninewells Hospital and was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation but later went to a nursing home for end of life care before he died on May 26 last year.

Swinton stood trial at the High Court in Edinburgh accused of murdering the pensioner, but a jury returned a verdict finding her guilty of killing him.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson KC said that following the decision a jail sentence of “great significance” would be imposed on Swinton.

After the jury returned the verdict they heard that Swinton has amassed 26 previous convictions including for drugs, theft, shoplifting, breaching bail, breaching anti social behaviour legislation and assault and robbery.

Mr Lambie was previously a victim of Swinton when he was attacked by her at his home on April 20 in 2020 when she told him she had a knife and threatened to stab and kill him before robbing him of £100.

She was jailed for three years.

She was jailed again for 18 months after demanding that another pensioner, Margaret Chalmers, then aged 81, who also lived in Dryburgh Gardens, go with her to a bank and withdraw £300 for her on November 11 in 2022.

During proceedings, the court heard friends of Mr Lambie speak fondly of him. They told the jury of how the devout Christian would quote Shakespeare and was an inspiration to fellow members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Dundee

The court also heard that he was fond of simple pleasures like going with his friends to a local branch of Greggs for a sausage roll and a cappuccino.

At the time he died, he weighed five stone was 5ft 1in tall.

The trial judge, Lord Harrower, told Swinton: “By the verdict of the jury you have been found guilty of the culpable homicide of William Lambie. I am well aware that no sentence of this court can alleviate the suffering currently being felt by those closest to Mr Lambie.”

“I am concerned, from not least the extensive record of previous convictions which has been tendered this morning, that your offending has increased in severity in most recent years,” said Lord Harrower.

The judge made reference to the earlier crimes against Mr Lambie and Ms Chalmers, who is now deceased, and said it was clear her offending has become “much more serious”.

He told jurors: “It has been a very serious case and, in some respects, a very distressing one.”

Lord Harrower continued the case for the preparation of a background report on Swinton who was remanded in custody. She is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow later this year.