Sexual predator guilty of murdering woman in 1984 after DNA discovery

A sexual predator has been convicted of murdering a "trusting and friendly" mother in her home more than 36 years ago after being snared by a "one-in-a-billion" DNA breakthrough.

Convicted rapist Graham Mcgill, 59, was an inmate at HMP Edinburgh on temporary release in 1984 when he strangled Mary Mclaughlin, 58, in Partick, Glasgow.

The mother-of-11 had enjoyed a night out drinking and playing dominoes at different bars on Wednesday September 26 of that year and was last seen at around 10.45pm leaving to go to a chip shop on her way home. Jurors convicted Mcgill yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow of murder after deliberating for just over two hours.

The trial has heard Ms Mclaughlin was throttled with the cord of her own dressing gown.

Mcgill, who has sat quietly hunched over in the dock since the trial began on Tuesday wearing the same light-blue rain jacket, made no reaction as he was convicted.

Jurors removed a reference in the charge that the former welder had taken off Ms Mclaughlin's clothing with intent to rape.

Martin Cullen, 60, one of Ms Mclaughlin's sons, said he is relieved his mother has got justice and gave a thumbs up to reporters as he left the court on Friday afternoon.

Ms Mclaughlin's death sparked a major police investigation and spawned dozens of lines of inquiry, but the cold case remained unsolved until modern DNA techniques placed Mcgill in her flat with a greater than billion-to-one likelihood, the trial heard.

DNA found on her dress, inside the knot of the dressing gown belt, a cigarette end, and on a black bra all matched Mcgill, forensic scientist Joanne Cochrane told jurors.

Mcgill's ex-wife Suzanne Russell also told jurors that in 1988, he had confessed to murdering a woman because he "just wanted to know what it felt like".

She told the court: "He said he was shocked at how long it took to actually murder her.

"I didn't believe him... he was threatening me because he didn't want me breaking up with him.

"He said if I ever told anyone he would kill me. He said if I ever repeated it or ever tried to leave him, that's what would happen."

Ms Russell added that Mcgill said was not worried about being caught by police "because she was on her own, she didn't have anybody and she was more like a prostitute".

Mcgill, who was not known to the area, was convicted in 1981 of rape and jailed for six years at HMP Edinburgh but was on release as part of a "Training For Freedom" initiative, police said at a briefing before the trial.

Mcgill was also sentenced to life in 1999 for an attack on a womanbutreleasedonlicence in 2007, the court heard.

The previous convictions were not shared with jurors hearing the case.

Judge Lord Burns said he would sentence Mcgill on May 18.

Mcgill was released from his first sentence on October 5 1984, just three days after Ms Mclaughlin's remains were discovered by her son Mr Cullen.