Woman who killed frail 97-year-old man after attacking him in his Dundee home jailed

A woman who killed a frail 97-year-old pensioner in an attack at his home has been jailed.

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 to the floor, resulting in him falling 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.

On Friday, she was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh after a jury found her guilty of culpable homicide.

She was also given a three-year extended sentence during which she will be closely supervised following her release.

Pensioner previous victim on Swinton

Mr Lambie was previously a victim of Swinton when she attacked the pensioner at his home on April 20, 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, 2022.

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

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This was a cowardly attack on an extremely elderly and vulnerable gentleman in his home, where he had every right to think he was safe.

“Tandy Swinton tried to rob an innocent member of the public, and her despicable actions resulted in tragic consequences.

“She has now rightly been brought to account for her actions.

“Mr Lambie was a well-loved member of his community and our thoughts are with his friends and loved ones.

“I hope this conviction brings some comfort to all those affected by Swinton’s criminal behaviour.

“This conviction serves as a warning to others that we take crimes of this nature extremely seriously and will use all the tools available to us to seek justice.”