8 Heinous Scottish Criminals - And Their Crimes

The name Thomas Hamilton may not be familiar to many but the atrocity that he committed in March 1996 shocked not just the community that it devastated but the country as a whole.

The Dunblane massacre is the deadliest shooting in UK history, claiming the lives of 16 children, one teacher and the gunman himself. The aftermath of this brutal act was the tightening of restrictions on the ownership of handguns in the UK where it is now nigh on impossible to have one on a personal gun license with very select exceptions.

Thomas Hamilton was considered "odd" by the community and despite being involved in the Scouts for a while, he was banned because people considered his behaviour and attitude towards the children worrying. He briefly ran a shop that failed and felt that he was being judged or ostracised based on these accusations.

After cutting the telephone cables, he entered the school with more than 700 rounds of ammunition for four handguns that he held entirely legally. After the murders had taken place, he committed suicide with one of his weapons to avoid capture.

A commemoration stone was placed in the local cathedral in 2001 to remember those who were lost.