Killer Callum Davidson, jailed for his role in the brutal murder of Arbroath oil worker Steven Donaldson, has had his life sentence extended after getting caught with contraband for a fourth time.
The 30-year-old was jailed alongside Tasmin Glass and Steven Dickie for the “savage and depraved” 2018 Kinnordy killing that sent shockwaves through the community.
Davidson, described by a judge as “cold blooded,” was ordered to spend at least 24 years behind bars after a high court heard how he and Dickie violently ended Mr Donaldson’s life after Glass was lured him into a playpark at Kirrie Hill.
On Monday, Davidson appeared at Perth Sheriff Court via video link and admitted having an illegal mobile phone and SIM card in his cell on November 28 2024.
He was caught just weeks after appearing in the same court for a similar charge.
Sheriff William Wood sentenced Davidson to a further five months, which is expected to push back his parole hearing to beyond 2042.
Missing his family
Prosecutor Elizabeth Hodgson said Perth Prison staff caught Davidson red-handed using the phone in his cell.
“He fully cooperated with officers,” she said.
“He handed the phone over immediately.”
Solicitor Linda Clark, defending, said Davidson lost privileges and did not receive a wage for a time after the phone was discovered.
She said her client was not eligible for parole for about 18 years.
“It was a difficult time for him and he was missing his family.
“His children can’t visit him as much as they’d like.
“He accepts that he had acquired this phone to speak to them.”
Sheriff Wood told Davidson: “You will appreciate this is the fourth similar conviction you have had.
“You need to ask yourself how this is going to look when you eventually reach the end of the punitive part of your sentence.
“Only one disposal is appropriate today and it really does have to be a consecutive sentence.”
A Voice for Victims
Jailing Davidson in 2019, judge Lord Pentland said he and Dickie had used “extreme violence,” which had been “sustained and prolonged.”
He said: “You cut him down without mercy.
“I do not accept that you demonstrate genuine insight and empathy. You show callous disregard for Mr Donaldson’s family.”
Dickie died behind bars in June 2018.
Glass, convicted of culpable homicide and detained for 10 years, was released following a parole hearing in July last year.
Mr Donaldson’s family said they were “angry but not surprised” by the decision.
The Courier’s A Voice for Victims Campaign aims at ensuring Glass and other violent prisoners should serve their full sentence imposed by the courts.
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