Former police officer tried killing ex and her mum by driving into funeral home

A former police officer who tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and her mum by driving his car into a funeral home has been jailed.

Zoe Turnbull, 46, and her mother Beverley Turnbull, 71, were inside the home in Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders when it happened.

The High Court in Livingston heard how William McBurnie, 57, was drunk at the time it happened on December 7, 2022.

He woke up at 6am on the day of the incident and drank a third of a litre bottle of whiskey before he decided to go and carry out the plan.

McBurnie’s ex saw him sitting at the junction opposite the funeral home where she worked and told her mother who suggested to lock the door.

He drove away but then turned around in a one-way system.

He then accelerated at speed over a give way junction and mounted the pavement, crashing through two large flower planters and into the glass-fronted office.

At the time his ex was standing beside her desk while her mother had gone towards the office door, which had frosted glass.

The moment the car was ploughed into the funeral home was captured on CCTV
(Credits: Digby Brown/PA Wire)

McBurnie said: ‘Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking’ (Picture: Police Scotland/PA Wire)

She then saw the car coming and yelled to her mum: ‘He’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming through the window.’

She had no choice but to pin herself against the office wall and turn away from the oncoming vehicle.

It narrowly missed the women but debris still hit them both.

The office desk was hit so badly that it was embedded into the back wall.

After it all happened, McBurnie then said: ‘Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.’

He said he had been struggling to come to terms with the relationship ending.

McBurnie previously admitted attempting to murder the pair and he used to serve with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Judge Lord Mulholland placed McBurnie on an extended sentence of 13 years, including two years of supervision on his release from prison.

Zoe Turnbull worked at the funeral home where she was almost killed (Picture: Digby Brown/PA Wire)

The judge said his actions could easily have killed Ms Turnbull and her mother.

He said: ‘You turned a mode of transport, your vehicle, into a lethal weapon and used it with devastating effect.’

He told McBurnie he should be ‘thoroughly ashamed’ of himself.

McBurnie was also banned from driving for 16-and-a-half years and issued with indefinite non-harassment orders concerning both women, preventing him from contacting them.

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Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: ‘This was an extremely reckless act which could have had devastating consequences had it not been for the swift actions of William McBurnie’s former partner.

‘Our thoughts and best wishes remain with both women as they continue to deal with the lasting trauma caused by this individual.

‘McBurnie is a domestic abuser who will now face the consequences of his actions. I hope this conviction reaffirms our commitment to prosecuting crimes of this nature.

‘I would encourage all victims or witnesses of similar offending to come forward, report their experiences and seek support.’

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