A Dundee family has been left “horrified” after a double killer launched a bid to appeal his conviction and jail sentence.
The Tele can reveal that Robert Stratton — who knifed cousins Julie McCash and David Sorrie to death during a family vigil in Mid Craigie in February — has instructed his legal team to begin appeal proceedings.
He was convicted last month of the murder of Ms McCash, 43, and of the culpable homicide of Mr Sorrie, 32, by a High Court jury.
A judge sentenced him to a minimum of 23 years in prison as part of a life term.
Although it’s unclear exactly what Stratton’s legal team will seek from the appeal, they could move to have his murder conviction reduced to culpable homicide, after the 43-year-old admitted during his trial that he had killed the pair but claimed he’d acted in self-defence.
Stratton’s solicitor George Mathers told the Tele: “What we can say at this stage is that we have lodged a notice of our intention to appeal after instructions from Mr Stratton.
“This is an appeal against both the conviction and sentence in this case.”
Julie’s daughter Khailey McKenzie, 25 said she was horrified to hear of the appeal.
She said: “This is the worst news. In a way I was half-expecting him to do this but it’s still awful to learn that he’s doing it. This just continues the horror for the whole family.
“We thought after the conviction and sentencing that we could begin to move forward and start to rebuild our lives but that is not going to happen now.
“I was planning to go back to work soon but I can’t begin to think about that now.
“We’re back to square one. We had thought that Stratton was locked up for more than two decades — now we have to face the possibility that he might be let out on the streets much sooner.
“For us the nightmare just continues. It’s disgusting.
“Stratton obviously seems to think he is untouchable and that the deaths of two innocent people were somehow justifiable.”
David’s partner Lynsey Berry, 35, added: “I’m disgusted at this. Stratton is showing no remorse at all.”
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/julie-mccash-david-sorrie-killings-bereaved-dundee-family-plan-set-charity-something-good-comes-deaths/
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