Alexander Campbell Brennan

Introduction

Alexander Campbell Brennan is a 54-year-old man convicted by a jury of murdering his partner, 23-year-old Brodie MacGregor, by repeatedly punching and slapping her and striking her on the face, head and body with glass bottles, broken glass bottles and a microwave plate. Lord Scott, sentencing him on 21 September 2026, described a brutal attack on a defenceless woman who offered no serious physical threat, left dying for around an hour while Brennan took no steps to seek medical assistance, and imposed a life sentence with a punishment part of 22 years — two years above the notional 20 because the murder involved the abuse of his partner .

Background Information

The murder charge was aggravated in terms of section 1 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 because it involved the abuse of his partner or ex-partner — a statutory aggravation meaning the jury was satisfied Brennan intended to cause Brodie MacGregor to suffer physical or psychological harm, or was reckless as to whether his conduct would have that result, and which the Appeal Court requires to be treated as a serious aggravation. Brennan, 52 at the time of the murder, has several previous convictions including for violence and has served several prison sentences; at the time of the killing he was subject to a deferred sentence from Glasgow Sheriff Court for an assault that resulted in a six-month imprisonment in January 2025 .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted at trial of murdering his 23-year-old partner in a bottle and microwave-plate attack; life sentence with a 22-year minimum.

The forensic pathologist Dr McAdam described the severity of the injuries as akin to those caused by high-velocity impacts or falling from a building. Evidence of Brodie MacGregor’s blood in the living room of the flat — including cast-off blood on the ceiling — reinforced the extent of the brutality. Dr Wood described trivial injuries to Brennan’s face and injuries to his hands, but the judge found on the evidence, even allowing for those injuries, that there was no provocation for what he did; Brennan’s best recollection was some sort of argument .

Brodie MacGregor lay dying for around an hour, whether conscious or unconscious, while Brennan took no steps to seek the medical assistance that might have offered even a slight chance of saving her. Lord Scott told him: “Very quickly, you resumed your focus on your own selfish priorities, demonstrating in everything you did that you were completely indifferent as to whether Brodie MacGregor lived or died. Whether or not you intended to kill Brodie MacGregor, you displayed a wicked disregard for the consequences of your brutal attack on a defenceless woman.” At the time of her death she was 23, with surviving siblings and a young child now left without a mother .

Public Reaction and Consequences

At the sentencing hearing Brennan’s own counsel, Mr McConnachie, was, as the judge put it, simply unable to find anything to say on his behalf in view of the jury’s verdict. The sentence for murder is prescribed by law: life. The punishment part of 22 years — the period Brennan must serve before he can even be considered for parole — was set two years above the 20-year notional figure specifically because of the domestic abuse aggravation .

Current Status

Brennan is serving a life sentence imposed on 21 September 2026, backdated to 30 November 2024 to take account of time spent exclusively on remand for this case. The 22-year punishment part will keep him in prison to at least the age of 74; whether he is released then or ever will be a matter for the Parole Board based on the risk he is assessed to pose after that period has elapsed. Lord Scott was careful to spell out that this is not a sentence of 22 years’ imprisonment .

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 54, Brennan’s life now runs to at least his mid-seventies in custody, with the 22-year tariff formally recording the court’s finding that the domestic abuse aggravation made this murder graver than its notional baseline. The case’s published record — the cast-off blood on the ceiling, the hour in which no help was summoned, the counsel who could think of nothing to say — stands as the judicial account of Brodie MacGregor’s death and of the partner she lost her life to .

Sources

• “HMA v Alexander Campbell Brennan” — Judiciary of Scotland sentencing statement, 21 September 2026: source