The heartbroken mother of murdered father Robert Fisher broke down in tears after learning that his killer's bid to overturn her conviction had been rejected.
Pamela Peacock said she was left "gobsmacked" after receiving a phone call from the Procurator Fiscal informing her that Stacey Balfour's appeal against both her murder conviction and sentence had failed. The decision brings an end to weeks of agonising uncertainty for Robert's family, who feared they could be forced to relive the nightmare of his death all over again.
Balfour, 25, is serving life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years for her role in the killing of Robert, 26, following a murderous knife attack at flats in Maxwellton Street, Paisley, in July 2023. The appeal court's ruling means Balfour will remain behind bars after judges rejected claims that she had suffered a miscarriage of justice.
Pamela told the Record: "When they told me the appeal had been rejected, I couldn't believe it. I was gobsmacked and I broke down in tears."
"For some reason, I thought because she had appealed then she was going to win it. I was so wrong."
"The week leading up to the verdict was so nerve wracking, it was like I was reliving the trial again."
"I don't know why she thought she had a leg to stand on by getting an appeal. I was told that the judges looked at it as a cold and calculated killing and she did nothing but avoid taking responsibility."
"This is a woman that's left my granddaughter without a father. She is evil and deserves everything that's coming for her."
"That's why I had to speak out. I have to raise awareness about how evil she is. I'm so pleased her appeal was rejected after I told how she has tormented our family with this."
Pamela had previously spoken out as Balfour's legal challenge made its way through the courts, telling how the appeal process had reopened old wounds and left the family fearing justice could be snatched away.
She also thanked Daily Record readers and the wider public for following Robert's story, saying she was grateful for the coverage that helped shine a light on the family's fight for justice and keep attention focused on the case while the appeal was ongoing.
She added: "I'm so glad it went the way it did after I spoke out to tell Robert's story to help keep her in jail. I hope the judges could see the harm she inflicted on my family."
"There was no miscarriage of justice like she claimed, she was done bang to rights. She tried to beat the system and walk away from her actions but she failed."
In a written judgment published on Tuesday, appeal judges Lord Beckett, Lady Wise and Lady Carmichael upheld Balfour's conviction for murder.
Lord Beckett, who wrote the opinion, concluded that trial judge Lady Hood had followed the correct legal procedures and that the jury were entitled to convict Balfour of murder on the evidence available to them.
Lord Beckett wrote: "It seems clear that the jury considered the appellant to bear joint criminal responsibility for Mr Wood's murderous assault."
"In a situation where the purported verdict did not signal that the jury had reached a final verdict of acquittal, and the 'verdict' was inconsistent with her directions, the judge was entitled and, in our view, correct to invite the jury to retire and reconsider their verdict."
"There is no miscarriage of justice and the appeal against conviction is refused."
The judges also rejected a separate bid to reduce Balfour's sentence.
The original High Court trial convicted both Balfour and Cameron Woods over Robert's death. Jurors heard how Woods fatally stabbed Robert while Balfour was acting "in concert" with him during the attack.
The court heard Robert suffered multiple stab wounds and managed to stagger from the Paisley flat covered in blood before emergency services were called.
He died four days later at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. During the trial, jurors initially convicted Woods of murder and Balfour of culpable homicide.
However, Lady Hood ruled that the verdict against Balfour was legally incompetent and directed jurors to reconsider their decision after providing further legal directions. The jury subsequently returned a verdict of guilty of murder.
Balfour's lawyers later argued that she had suffered a miscarriage of justice and challenged both her conviction and sentence before the Court of Criminal Appeal. But the appeal judges firmly rejected those arguments and upheld the original decision.
For Pamela, the ruling finally brings a sense of relief after weeks of torment. She said: "My family are all shocked by this outcome, we feared the worst. Hearing her appeal was rejected was such a relief. I was so emotional."
"People always tell me that it's now time to move on but I don't know what that means. I don't think I'll ever move on from Robert's death, it's something which will never sit right with me."
"I don't know if I've grieved properly but I can now start focussing on the good memories which we had and try to move forward, whatever that means."
