Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Teen accused of murder and rape of girl, 6, blames woman
A BOY accused of snatching a girl of six from her bed at knifepoint then raping and murdering her has named and blamed a woman for the crime.
The boy, 16, has gone on trial for the death of Alesha Macphail, whose naked body was found in woods last July on the Isle of Bute.
A postmortem revealed the cause of death as “pressure to neck and face”. Judge Lord Matthews yesterday told a jury at the High Court in Glasgow the case was likely to cause “strong emotions”.
The boy denies taking Alesha to a former hotel site, raping and murdering her. He has lodged a special defence of incrimination, stating a named woman committed the crime. He has pleaded not guilty to trying to pervert justice by disposing of clothing and a knife, and washing blood off his body. The case continues.