Alesha’s death: Boy charged ‘is a family friend’
‘Challenging inquiry’
A TEENAGE boy is due in court today after he was charged in connection with the murder of a six-year-old girl on a Scottish island.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, was a friend of victim Alesha MacPhail’s family, it is understood.
The little girl’s body was found in woodland in the grounds of an abandoned hotel on Monday.
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of murder before being charged yesterday. He is due to appear at Greenock Sheriff Court this morning after being kept in custody.
Yesterday, Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston paid tribute to Alesha’s family and thanked the community of the Isle of Bute for their assistance with the ‘challenging’ inquiry.
‘I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank Alesha’s family who have shown incredible bravery through what has been an unimaginable ordeal during these past few days,’ he said.
‘I’d also like to thank local people for all their support during this major investigation on the island. The response to our appeals was significant both from those living here and the wider community of Scotland.’
Alesha’s body was found by a member of the public at 9am on Monday. She had been reported missing when her family found she was not in her bed at 6.25am.
Alesha had been staying with her paternal grandparents Calum MacPhail, 49, and Angela King, 46, and father Robert MacPhail, 25, at a seafront flat near Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.
The six-year-old lived in Lanarkshire on the Scottish mainland with her mother, who is estranged from Mr MacPhail, but spent holidays and weekends with her father on Bute.
Her murder has rocked the community, which is home to just 6,500 people. It is the biggest investigation ever undertaken by police on the island, which is 24km long and 5km wide. Investigations continued at the seafront flat yesterday, and on the beach in front the property, where officers could be seen combing the sand with sticks.
Det Supt Houston added: ‘Officers and staff have been involved in what has been a difficult and challenging investigation during which they have worked tirelessly to bring us to where we are today.’