Family of Amanda Duffy in plea to Nicola Sturgeon over legal reform

The father of a murdered teenager has urged Nicola Sturgeon to intervene to reform laws he believes denied her justice.

Amanda Duffy’s father Joe has called on the First Minister to review the not proven verdict in Scots law as well as the current double jeopardy legislation.

Ms Duffy’s body was found on waste ground in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, in May 1992.

Francis Auld, who died earlier this month, stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow that year for the murder of the 0 No-one has been convicted after Amanda Duffy’s death 19-year-old drama student and was acquitted by a jury on a not proven verdict.

In 2016 a bid to retry him using double jeopardy laws was rejected by the Appeal Court in Edinburgh. Mr Duffy believes his daughter was denied justice and has criticised the handling of the case by the Crown Office, writing to the Lord Advocate to set out the family’s concerns.

Urging Ms Sturgeon to step in, he told a Scottish newspaper: “Everyone is supportive of our primary aim of abolishing the not proven verdict that allowed Amanda’s killer to walk free. It and double jeopardy laws brought in recently both need to be looked at.

The Scottish Government said it was unable to comment on individual cases. A Crown Office spokesman said they would give the letter “careful consideration.”