Donna Marie Brand, a killer convicted for her role in the murder of 14-year-old Caroline Glachan in 1996, has died in hospital, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) confirmed. Brand, 47, was serving a minimum of 17 years at HMP & YOI Stirling for her part in the crime.
Details of the murder and conviction
Brand, along with Robert O’Brien and Andrew Kelly, killed the teenager in 1996. The trio evaded justice for almost three decades after the August 25 1996 murder until their eventual conviction. Caroline was O’Brien’s girlfriend. He and the other two murdered her after beating her and throwing projectiles at her, causing blunt force trauma to her head and body.
The murder took place at a bridge near the towpath beside the River Leven, between Renton and Bonhill in West Dunbartonshire. She was pushed or fell into undergrowth and her body was discovered in the river at Place of Bonhill, Renton, later the same day – which was her mother’s 40th birthday.
Sentences and family reaction
Brand was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years when she was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow. O’Brien and Kelly were sentenced to life at the same court, with O’Brien ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars and Kelly handed a minimum of 18 years.
Speaking outside court, Caroline’s mother Margaret McKeich said she was “pleased” at the sentence. On the day of their conviction, she said: “It was a good sentence and it was actually more than I was expecting, I’m quite pleased, now it’s like a weight lifted off my shoulders and as I’ve said before it’s not closure, it’s justice, we don’t get closure, it’s a void that will not ever be filled, so you don’t get closure. I’m pleased the way it went today.”
She said that she and Caroline’s father, who was also at court, are both “serving a sentence as well, only ours doesn’t come to an end, we don’t get parole”.
Court findings and SPS statement
Judge Lord Braid previously said Brand had been convicted of a “brutal” murder, which was witnessed by two young children. During the trial, forensic pathologist Dr Marjorie Turner told the court the 14-year-old was still alive when she went into the water and the ultimate cause of death was drowning. Lord Braid said while Brand did not take part in the assault itself, she shared in responsibility for the crime because she left Caroline face down in the river while she was still alive and was part of a plan of “murderous violence”.
The SPS said Brand had died in hospital on Wednesday while serving her sentence, which she began serving in 2024. On Thursday, an SPS spokesperson said: “Every death, whether in prison custody or in our communities is a tragedy for all those who knew and supported the individual. Following the death of someone in our care, Police Scotland are advised, and the matter reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Fatal accident inquiries are held in due course.”
