Murderer out on licence knocked down woman crossing road

A convicted murderer ran over a woman while he was out on licence for killing a teenager.

Alexander Woodside, 49, struck a 69-year-old woman after he ran a red light in Rutherglen on March 31, 2023.

The woman suffered a string of injuries, which included a fractured vertebra as well as wounds to her ear and leg.

Woodside was released in 2019 after he was given a life sentence for the murder of 16-year-old John Hampson in Glasgow.

Woodside and his brother Alan savaged the boy with a bayonet and an axe, with each sibling “taking the credit” for the killing.

The pair were convicted after their mother, Maureen Woodside, testified against them in court in 1998.

Woodside absconded from the city’s Barlinnie prison in 2016 while on an external work placement and was found in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Woodside pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to his latest charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The court heard that the woman was out in the town centre that day and intended to use the pedestrian crossing.

Prosecutor Kyle Dalziel said: “She stepped out at a green man signal when she was struck by Woodside when his car drove through a red light.”

Emergency services were called, and Woodside made admissions to officers that he was the driver of the Ford Mondeo.

The woman was taken to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment, where she remained for six days.

Mr Dalziel added: “She suffered various injuries due to the road crash, which included a vertebrae fracture, a wound to her left ear, a serious concussion and an open wound to her right leg.”

The victim had to wear a neck brace for six weeks upon her release from hospital.

Woodside, who had his own handyman business, was recalled to prison in 2024.

He had previously told officers: “It was an accident – I am convinced I didn’t go through a red light.”

Peter Malone, defending, told the court: “At the time, he thought he was safe to proceed, but in hindsight, he accepts he must have travelled through the red light.

“He accepts that he was unable to stop and caused the collision and injuries to the victim.”

The lawyer stated that his client’s parole hearing is in May this year, and the result depended on the outcome of his latest matter.

Sheriff Owen Mullan sentenced Woodside to 18 months.

He also disqualified him from driving for 20 months.