The partner of murdered mum Jill Barclay plans to set up a trust in her name to work towards a community takeover of the land where she died.
Leon Grant, 49, wants to demolish the derelict Farburn Gatehouse property in Dyce, where the 47-year-old love of his life was raped and killed by stranger Rhys Bennett.
The 23-year-old killer from Ballingry, Fife, is currently serving a life sentence of at least 24 years for the horrifying ordeal he inflicted on Jill last September.
Crowdfunding efforts to raise £90,000 to buy the building from its current owner and turn it into a useful and enjoyable space for the community have “stalled” after reaching less than a third of its target with more than 1,000 donations, according to Mr Grant.
“I just want it flattened,” he said. “I don’t want a memorial there. Whoever wants to do something good with it can have it”.
Jill’s traumatised partner, who’s still undergoing therapy along with their two young grieving children, told The Press and Journal: “I’m hitting highs and lows. I’m fine just now but it’s a long road for them.”
‘Knocked back’ but not giving up
Mr Grant also revealed that a bid to secure “a large amount of money” was “knocked back” by Aberdeen City Council.
But the father-of-two, who remains optimistic about his fundraising drive, believes that creating a trust to formalise fundraising could help to attract big donors.
“I think oil companies and the council will be more willing to donate to it rather than a personal Gofundme page because, for all they know, I could buy this house and sell it for profit.
“There was an application for a large amount of money that went into the council and they knocked it back because it didn’t tick all the boxes.
“One of them was that it seemed I was just asking for money for me to buy a house. They didn’t know I’d tear it down and then donate the piece of land to a good cause,” he explained.
“We might never ever reach the target. It’s one of the things I might have to accept but I’m not going to yet.”
‘Jill was the light in a dark room when she walked in’
Various potential uses for the property have previously been proposed, including donating it to the Dyce in Bloom Gardening Club.
“It’s also been suggested that we donate it to the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society because, although there are allotments in Bankhead and Bucksburn, there are none in Dyce,” Mr Grant said.
“I think that’s a great idea and Jill would be all for that. Had the shoe been on the other foot, she would be tearing that building down with her bare hands.”
Leon Grant and Jill Barclay, who was a proposal engineer for the energy firm Petrofac, had both known each other for 40 years and had been a couple for the last two decades.
“Jill was the light in a dark room when she walked in,” he reminisced.
‘Crushing’ to visit the crime scene
Now, Mr Grant is tortured by living just 300 yards away from the site where the mother of his children was murdered.
“I go past it all the time,” he said. “I’ve got no choice. It’s part of my life”.
For a long time after the chilling tragedy, the property was blocked off with fencing and views of the site were obscured by large green canvassing, which has since been removed.
“It never really used to jar me but once the fence came down it has come to life more, now that I’ve seen the building that was hidden before.
“I thought it would get easier but it’s actually got tougher.
Mr Grant revealed that he and a friend of Jill’s, who was out with her in Dyce on the night that she was attacked, have been leaving and maintaining tributes at the Farburn Gatehouse.
“I drive past and I’m okay but to stop there to redo the flowers and tidy it up is crushing,” he admitted.
‘Reasonable’ price
The property where Jill was killed had been sold at auction to Hafiza Abid, from Glasgow, a matter of weeks before the grisly incident.
Mr Abid and his business partner Shahzad Hassan, who operate takeaway and retail businesses in the central belt, had planned to renovate the Farburn Gatehouse.
However, the pair have not ruled out transforming it into another business premises.
Mr Hassan has previously sent his sympathy and condolences to Mr Grant and offered to sell the property to him for a “reasonable” price.
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