ALESHA MUM I WAS KEPT IN THE DARK
»»Cop delay stopped Georgina getting to island where girl lay »»She only found out how daughter died minutes before court
THE mum of murdered Alesha MacPhail only learned the true extent of the sickening attack just minutes before facing her killer for the first time. Georgina Lochrane, 24, today tells how she was “kept in the dark” and says police delays stopped her going to the Isle of Bute, where Alesha was killed. She said: “I was handed the indictment five minutes before court. It destroyed me.”
THE mum of tragic Alesha MacPhail says she was kept “in the dark” throughout the investigation into her daughter’s rape and murder.
And she says she only learned crucial information about the case at the same time as the public.
Georgina Lochrane, 24, told how she was handed the indictment detailing her six-year-old’s final moments just minutes before seeing her killer Aaron Campbell, 16, in court for the first time.
She says she was prevented from travelling to the Isle of Bute, where the youngster’s body lay in woodland in July last year, after waiting hours for police liaison officers to arrive.
Speaking of her relationship with police and prosecutors during the investigation, Georgina said: “They kept me in the dark with everything.
“That thing made my daughter suffer completely and I should have known that from the start. Every mother should. Every parent should.”
Alesha had been staying on Bute at her grandparents’ home with her dad Rab MacPhail, 26, when she was abducted from her bed on July 2.
Armed with a knife, Campbell entered the flat when the door was left unlocked and took the child.
He raped and murdered Alesha and her body was found in the grounds of a former hotel.
Georgina learned her daughter had died after seeing messages of condolence on a Facebook status Alesha’s gran had posted.
The mum, from Airdrie, says she waited until almost 1pm – hours after Alesha’s body was found – until police arrived at her door. She said she was desperate to go to Rothesay to be close to her daughter – whose body was still in the woods there – but was told to wait for police liaison officers. By that point, she said it was too late to travel to the island, which is accessed by ferry.
Georgina said: “I spoke to Rab’s brother Scott. I told him I was coming over to Rothesay. I was determined to be there because I was no use here.
“The police said we had to wait on the family liaison officers to speak to us. They took five hours to come.
“The family liaison officers didn’t give us any indication of what happened. They said a formal identification had to take place but they were positive it was Alesha.
“I didn’t like that. I knew deep down it was her but my body just didn’t want to accept it yet. They hadn’t even caught Campbell at that point.”
Prosecutors pieced together Campbell’s movements using CCTV evidence from his home and recovered vital evidence from the shore.
They accused him of returning home after the murder to shower before leaving the house again on two occasions to dispose of his clothing and a knife in a bid to pervert the course of justice – a charge they later dropped during the trial.
Georgina said: “I didn’t find out exactly what had happened to Alesha until his first hearing on December 10 last year.
“I didn’t even know there was a second charge or anything about a knife. We knew she had been raped but we didn’t know the extent. They let me read that.
“I was handed the indictment five minutes before we went into court. It killed me. It absolutely destroyed me. They gave me five minutes’ notice then expected me to go into that courtroom with him. I wanted to rip his face off.
“It’s not their child. They get to go home to their children.”
Georgina said the family were not informed of key information which emerged during the course of the trial at Glasgow High Court last month. She said: “We were still kept in the dark right up until the end of the trial. They were coming in and notifying us of the distressing stuff but weren’t preparing us for other things.
“They were saying, ‘We can’t tell you until it has come out in court’. They didn’t want me in for most of the trial. I told them I was going in either way. I felt they were hiding a lot from me.
“With the pathology evidence, they said they were going to show crime scene pictures which were distressing. I didn’t want to see that but family members were prepared to go in on my behalf. They said if any of my family members go in, they weren’t going to show the pictures. I felt like I was put in a position where I’d be jeopardising Alesha’s full case if I let any of my family go in there. I told them all to stay out.”
Georgina was also enraged after hearing evidence during the trial that a Nike jumper believed to have been worn by the killer had been retrieved from a skip.
The clothing had been recovered by Sergeant Anthony Hannah. He told the local who reported it he didn’t think it was relevant. He placed it in an evidence bag and took it to
They kept me in the dark with everything GEORGINA LOCHRANE ON THE POLICE PROBE AND THE HIGH COURT CASE
Rothesay police station but later put it in a skip after consulting with a colleague.
Hannah said he had “no information there was anything outstanding from the inquiry”.
But a day later, officers from the major investigation team recovered the hoodie and it was used by the prosecution during the trial. Georgina said: “I was livid about that. They said, ‘Listen out in court and it will be explained’. It never was.” Her partner George Horn added: “That was a crucial piece of evidence and could have jeopardised that case.”
Georgina understands an internal police probe is ongoing into the incident.
FAMS (Families and Friends Affected by Murder and Suicide), the charity supporting Georgina, said they understand the need for evidence in criminal cases to be treated confidentially but added that families of victims should be kept informed of crucial information.
Co-founder Ann Marie Cocozza said: “During the whole process, it should be remembered victims’ families have already been traumatised by the event. Many feel they are not given the respect they deserve.”
The Crown Office said: “Specialist staff from our office and the Procurator Fiscal Service have kept the family informed of all relevant information and provided appropriate advice and support.”
Police said: “The family were supported throughout the