The Scottish government has declared that a public inquiry led by an impartial judge will be conducted to examine the police’s handling of the investigation into Emma Caldwell’s murder. This decision was made following the statement by Scotland’s top legal official, who stated that there was enough evidence in 2008 to charge the perpetrator of Caldwell’s murder. The perpetrator was only convicted last week.
Margaret Caldwell, the mother of Caldwell, has spent nearly twenty years tirelessly advocating for her daughter’s killer to be brought to justice. She sat in the audience during Scotland’s justice secretary Angela Constance’s speech to MSPs on Thursday afternoon, where Constance stated, “It is undeniable that there were significant failures that led a bereaved family to fight for justice.”
The investigation will address the ongoing deficiencies in the police department that were revealed during the trial of convicted murderer and repeat rapist, Iain Packer.
Packer received a 36-year prison sentence last week for the 2005 killing of Caldwell and was also found guilty of committing numerous acts of sexual violence against 22 other women.
In April of 2005, at the age of 27, Caldwell went missing while living in a Glasgow hostel. During the trial, her mother stated that Caldwell had turned to using heroin as a coping mechanism after her sister’s death and was supporting her addiction through prostitution. After being missing for five weeks, Caldwell’s unclothed body was discovered in Limefield Woods near Biggar, South Lanarkshire.
Constance, filled with emotion, stated in the Holyrood chamber: “Considering the severity of this case, the prolonged delay in obtaining justice for numerous women, and the unspeakable level of sexual violence endured by the victims and survivors, there is a strong argument for launching a public inquiry.”
One hour prior to making a statement, Caldwell’s family had a meeting with Dorothy Bain, the lord advocate who was involved in the case as crown counsel in 2008.
Bain told the family that after taking the view that there was no murder case against the four Turkish men who the original police investigation had focused on, she and the solicitor general directed investigators to look at Packer, whose name appeared in police papers.
After the meeting, the Caldwell family’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, stated that the lord advocate acknowledged the existence of several women who could have provided additional evidence of rapes and attacks. It is clear that if the police had heeded the advice of the Crown Office in 2008, Packer may have received a life sentence based on the evidence available.
The individual known as Packer has filed an appeal against his conviction on the previous day. It is public knowledge that he committed a minimum of 19 additional cases of rape and sexual assault following the murder of Caldwell.
The national police force of Scotland, known as Police Scotland, has issued an apology for the way Strathclyde police, which merged with the national force in 2013, handled the initial investigation.
When Jo Farrell, the chief constable of Police Scotland, met Caldwell’s family on Wednesday, she expressed the apology again and stated her support for their request for a government investigation. She also promised that the police force would fully engage in the process.
“It is crucial for both Emma’s family and the general public to receive responses to the numerous inquiries they may have,” stated Farrell.
Source: theguardian.com
