Guitarist faces life for murdering girl who vanished at bus stop
AN INDIE band guitarist yesterday admitted murdering teenager BobbiAnne McLeod, who disappeared after waiting at a bus stop.
Cody Ackland, 24, faces life behind bars after pleading guilty in the dock of a court packed with Bobbi-Anne’s family and friends.
Judge Robert Linford told him the only matter to be considered would be a minimum term when he appeared for sentencing on May 19.
Bobbi-Anne, 18, was last seen at the bus stop near her home in Plymouth on Saturday, November 20, last year.
A huge search was carried out when she did not arrive to meet her boyfriend.
A pouch of tobacco and her headphones were left at the bus stop. Her body was found the following Tuesday night near the beach at Bovisand, 10 miles away.
Vigil
Tensions ran high outside Plymouth Crown Court as banners were held up in support of Bobbi-Anne.
Judge Linford also warned family and friends to behave during the hearing. But he later thanked them for the “commendable way you have behaved during these proceedings”.
Bobbi-Anne’s murder sparked a fresh “reclaim the streets” campaign in the wake of the kidnap and killing of Sarah Everard in London last March, as women said they were terrified to leave their homes.
A public vigil on Plymouth Hoe was held the night after Bobbi-Anne’s mother and siblings walked with candles to the bus stop from where she went missing.
At the time of the murder, Ackland, of Plymouth, was lead guitarist in local indie band Rakuda. After he was
charged, the group disbanded as a “mark of respect” to Bobbi-Anne’s family.
They said: “The remaining members of Rakuda; Josh, Ross, Josh and Mike, are all extremely shocked and in complete disbelief by the tragic event.”
Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Leaper, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “Our thoughts remain with the McLeod family and those close to Bobbi-Anne who have had a daughter, sister and friend so cruelly taken from them.” Alison Hernandez, Devon and Cornwall’s police and crime commissioner, said: “I can’t even start to imagine the pain that Bobbi-Anne McLeod’s family and friends have been through.”
She thanked police for their efforts to bring Ackland to justice and the community “who have shown courage, empathy and incredible support during this dark time for the city”.