Angus killer Tasmin Glass will be considered for parole next week – with her victim’s family only given two weeks notice.
The Courier can reveal Glass will go before the Parole Board for Scotland on February 28, less than five years after killing ex-boyfriend Steven Donaldson.
The Kirriemuir killer was convicted of culpable homicide in 2019 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in the brutal slaying of the 27-year-old oil worker.
Her co-accused, Callum Davidson and Steven Dickie, were convicted of murder.
Glass was convicted of instigating and planning the attack.
Today, The Courier launches our new campaign: A Voice for Victims where we demand reforms in parole hearings in Scotland so families, like the Donaldsons, are heard.
As part of our campaign we also believe that Tasmin Glass should not be paroled.
The parole board originally stated that prisoners were usually released within a standard timeframe of 24 hours of being paroled.
They later clarified that in cases such as Glass’, the release date would not come until half the sentence had been served.
This means, if the parole board find in her favour, she would be released in early May.
Under Scots Law, anyone sentenced to four or more years in prison is entitled to a parole hearing halfway through their jailtime.
Two weeks notice – but it should have been at least three
Steven Donaldson’s family were given just two weeks’ warning that the hearing was scheduled for later this month, being notified by email on February 14.
That’s one week less than the standard minimum.
The Parole Board for Scotland said registered victims should be notified “no less” than three weeks prior to the hearing date.
Previously, the family had been informed Glass was eligible for parole in May, with the hearing to take place sometime beforehand.
Paul Jamie, head of victims team at Parole Scotland, told The Courier: “The victims team, within Parole Scotland, will notify any registered victims of the hearing no less than three weeks prior to the hearing date.
“Following consideration by the Parole Board, an Early Intimation of Decision (EID) is issued to all parties.
“If release is directed, the establishment will make arrangements with community based social work to release as soon as is reasonably practical.”
After a decision is made the Donaldson family will be notified of the outcome and any “relevant” licence conditions.
‘We are disgusted’ – Steven Donaldson’s family
Mr Donaldson’s family wrote to the parole board as part of the hearing process demanding that Glass remains behind bars.
“We are disgusted she will be eligible for parole and we have made our feelings known in our response,” they said in a statement.
“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.”
The parole hearing is not the killer’s first attempt to gain early freedom – Glass unsuccessfully appealed to have her sentence reduced in November 2019, just seven months after her conviction.
‘Manipulative and devious’
In the ruling, the appeals judge said Glass had played a “pivotal role” in Mr Donaldson’s death, describing the killer as “manipulative and devious”.
“She was the prime mover behind the assaults on the deceased,” said Lord Brodie.
“Without her active encouragement and participation, the attacks could not and would not have occurred.”
On the same day her appeal was rejected, co-accused Steven Dickie was found dead in his cell after taking his own life.
The battered and burned body of Steven Donaldson was discovered next to his car at Loch of Kinnordy Nature Reserve, near Kirriemuir, on June 7 2018.
He had been assaulted at the town’s Peter Pan playpark by Davidson and Dickie, who then drove him to the nature reserve where they killed him with a bladed weapon.
Glass, who was 20 at the time of the murder, gave birth to Steven Donaldson’s baby after his death.
If refused parole this year, the board will consider her case annually until her eventual release.
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