Jealous lover guilty of killing rival on remote Scottish isle

Robert Rose, from Rotherham, was battered at his home last June after he moved to Sanday in Orkney.

His body was found in sand dunes more than two weeks later.

The trial heard father-of-three Mr Rose had started a relationship with Margaret Johnston, the ex-partner of John Campbell.

Yesterday, after a month-long trial at the High Court in Glasgow, a jury took six hours to find Campbell, 59, guilty of murdering 54-year-old Mr Rose. His friend Stephen Crummack, 51, was found guilty of culpable homicide.

Both were also found guilty of defeating the ends of justice by burying his body in sand dunes and driving his car to Loth Pier to make it look as though Mr Rose had left the island on a ferry.

Campbell and Crummack denied murdering Mr Rose at his home on June 6 or 7 and stealing his wallet and cash. They also pleaded not guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice

Ms Johnston told the court she and Campbell were introduced to Mr Rose by fellow islander Crummack, who lived in a caravan near Braehowar, Mr Rose’s house.

The trial heard Ms Johnston met Campbell more than four years ago after contacting him about the sale of a marmoset monkey.

The 34-year-old mother of three said her own monkey had died and she came across Campbell’s details on the internet while looking into buying another one.

The pair set up home together and the animal lover said she was “very grateful” to Campbell for allowing her to fulfil her childhood dream of setting up a sanctuary.

But she told the court she was more interested in the pets than him, and they often argued.

She said she developed feelings for Mr Rose, whom she described as a “very nice person”, over a period of weeks and started seeing him after her relationship with Campbell ended.

Ms Johnston said Campbell was “not happy” about them getting together.

But she stayed living with Campbell because Mr Rose’s property was not suitable for children and her ex-partner called social services after she stayed there on a few occasions, she said.

Sentencing was adjourned until March 30.