Funeral Owner Secures Payout After Ex-Partner's Murder Attempt

Zoe Turnbull, owner of a funeral directors in Jedburgh, Scotland, has secured an undisclosed compensation payout in a civil case against her former partner, William McBurnie, two years after he drove a car through the business's window in an attempt to kill her and her mother.

The incident occurred on December 7, 2022, at Zoe Turnbull Funeral Directors on Market Place. McBurnie, then 56, accelerated his vehicle into the storefront while Turnbull, 46, and her 71-year-old mother, Beverly, were inside the office. Surveillance footage captured the women pressing themselves against the walls as the car smashed through the glass, narrowly missing them but sending debris flying. Both suffered injuries, with Turnbull sustaining hearing loss as well as damage to her back and legs. McBurnie exited the vehicle and fled the scene.

McBurnie, a former officer with the Police Service of Northern Ireland who had relocated to the Scottish Borders and worked as a freelance press photographer, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder at the High Court in Livingston. In October 2024, at age 57, he received an extended sentence of 13 years, including 11 years in custody and two years of...