Daughter Calls for Urgent Reforms to Prevent Future Tragedies
The family of Michele Rutherford, a caretaker who was stabbed to death, is calling for immediate action from Scottish authorities to build a high-security mental hospital for women. They call it “unacceptable” that Scotland does not have such a facility, hence leaving Kellyanne McNaughton, the killer, under treatment in a medium-security institution in Wales.
A Mother's Legacy and a Family's Plea
One of the occupants of Craighall Court assisted housing in Stirling in March 2023 viciously killed 54-year-old- Michele Rutherford. Along with her sister and father, her daughter has been outspoken about her worries about the safety and mental health treatment options for women like McNaughton. Initially charged with murder, the family argues that McNaughton should only be placed in a high-security prison to stop her from potentially endangering others in the future.
Frustrated, they said, “We don’t much care about that guy. However, we want them to receive the required assistance and support so that everyone else is safer and none else is at risk.”
Meeting Ministers for Change
To get advancement on the matter, the family is scheduled to meet with Social Care Minister Maree Todd and Justice Secretary Angela Constance. They want to ensure that the events before Michele died never again. While working as a care manager in the assisted housing where McNaughton lived, Michele was a committed professional with two decades of experience in the sector.
They said, “We’re not a priority. Regarding the type of disregard the entire side of it entails and what it’s causing families to go through, they have little concern. We were not led through it as we would have wanted to be.”
A Troubling Lack of Facilities
In June, it was decided that McNaughton would be housed at Monmouthshire, Wales’s medium-security Priory Hospital Llanarth Court. The family contends, however, that McNaughton should be housed in a high-security facility—the best degree of safe mental health treatment accessible in Scotland. These facilities are meant for those who present “a grave and immediate danger to others if at large.”
Still, Scotland does not now have a high-security mental hospital for women. Reportedly seeing voices before the incident, McNaughton, 33, had staff members try unsuccessfully to get her mental assistance. She would need to see a GP for a fresh referral, they were advised.
Sending McNaughton to a medium-security institution worries Michele’s husband. “These folks have been grouped for a purpose. If someone you know is high-risk, they enter a high-risk facility. That facility is designed for handling that individual. Why are you placing a high-risk individual in a medium-risk institution that may be unfit for them when the personnel lack the necessary training level?
Scotland's State Hospital: A Missed Opportunity
Scotland’s State Hospital in Carstairs takes male patients at the moment. A limited number of women in Scottish jails who needed specialized mental health treatment have been transported to the Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire, England, in recent years. A 2021 assessment branded the practice of transporting women to England for high-security mental treatment as “indefensible,” and that Carstairs be reopened to women within nine months. This advice was never followed, nevertheless.
The Scottish government responded to family worries by announcing intentions to reopen Carstairs to women, but they are still in early development. “We are planning for high-secure provision for women in the State Hospital, and work is at a very early stage,” Angela Constance, the Justice Secretary, said. As the longer-term plan for the State Hospital is created, we will keep working with health boards to expand access to treatment for women needing high-security mental health care. My thoughts linger with Michele Rutherford’s family, and I relate with all they have experienced.”
A Long Road to Justice
The time of this suggestion seems too late for the Rutherford family. They feel that amid the media coverage of McNaughton’s case, their mother has been eclipsed. Michele Rutherford was a committed caretaker who liked family walks down the beach in Ayr and Florida holidays, not just a victim.
The family wants their movement for change to stop other families from going through the same tragedy. “I doubt we will ever get justice,” they remarked. “We are pushing this so much so there’s something good to come from it, so my mum’s just not gone for no reason.”
Conclusion: A Call for Urgent Reform
The suffering of the Rutherford family exposes a severe flaw in Scotland’s mental health treatment system. Without a high-security mental institution for women, public and patient safety is vulnerable. The family’s will to see justice and reform emphasizes the importance of quick response to stop other tragedies.
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