I MIGHT KILL ONE DAY
Court is told of teenage accused’s chat with friend
THE teenager accused of murdering Alesha MacPhail told a pal he might kill “for the lifetime experience”, a court was told.
The 16-year-old also posted a video of his body, just hours after Alesha was found dead, saying he’d “found the guy who’s done it”, the court heard yesterday.
The teenager – who cannot be named because he is under 18 – is accused of abducting, raping and murdering the six-year-old last July 2.
January 2017. She recalled: “It was a conversation about crime documentaries or TV shows. “I remember he said that he would kill for the lifetime experience.”
Jurors were shown the message which said: “Might kill 1 day for the lifetime experience.” Another read: “I’d only kill you for reason so I’d probs go in your room anyways tryna get something and cover my tracks while I am at.”
The girl had also been discussing murder and getting away with it. She later accepted the suggestion by Brian McConnachie, defending, that anything said in the chat was “rubbish”.
Another 16-year-old girl earlier told how she had been in a Snapchat group with the boy and others last July.
They began discussing reports that Alesha was missing. This involved “rumour, gossip and speculation”. The boy had questioned how the girl would have left her home “without anyone noticing”.
Prosecutor Iain McSporran QC then asked this girl: “Did he post an image that you told police about?”
She said: “Yes, it was a video. It was him going into the bathroom and showing himself in the mirror.”
The jury heard the silent footage was shot in a bathroom and featured the top half of the accused’s body but not his face.
The girl said the boy then sent a message after the clip.
McSporran: “What was it?” She replied: “Found the guy who’s done it.” The advocate depute: “What did you think?”
The girl: “Not much – a joke, a bad joke. When I found out he had been arrested, I thought more about it.”
McConnachie later asked the girl had others been making comments about the hunt for Alesha that were “not in good taste”. She replied: “Probably.” The QC went on: “If the boy had not been arrested, you would have continued to think it (the video) was a bad joke?” The girl: “Yes.” McConnachie: “What has got you to change your mind is because he was arrested?”
She replied: “Yes.” The trial went on to hear from another friend, who found the boy feeling “depressed” at his house in the early hours of July 2.
The 16-year-old had earlier had a party there.
This lad, also 16, recalled: “He was not that good – he was not in a good frame of mind.
“He said that he had a family problem ... about his mum drinking. He said he was depressed and was thinking about harming himself. I was worried for him. I offered to stay with him or have him at mine.”
The witness later messaged the boy, who claimed he was “OK now”.
The witness was also asked about the video the accused apparently recorded.
He said: “He was taking a video and it showed himself in the bathroom mirror. He said, ‘Found where the murderer was hiding’. He was pointing at himself in the mirror. This was in the group chat.”
McSporran asked: “His voice, his words? ‘Found where the murderer was hiding’?” The boy: “Yes.”
He told the jury he was unsure of the day the clip was posted. The witness thought the video was a “dark sense of humour sort of joke”.
He also recalled people “jumping on the bandwagon” when the alleged killer was later arrested.
The trial continues.
He was not good.. he was not in a good frame of mind ACCUSED’S PAL ON HIS MOOD ON JULY 2