Accused took Emma Caldwell to area body was found ‘multiple times’
A man accused of murdering a sex worker told police he had taken her to the area where she was ultimately found dead around six times, a court heard.
Iain Packer, 50, attended Cathcart Police Station on March 13, 2007 to give a voluntary witness statement to detective David Barr.
He had previously given a statement on August 4, 2006 at the same police station.
Now retired, Mr Barr, 58, gave evidence at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, where he was asked a series of questions by advocate depute Richard Goddard KC about Packer’s statement.
Packer is accused of murdering Emma Caldwell, 27, in 2005, and faces 46 charges involving a number of women, including rape as well as abduction and assault.
He is accused of strangling Miss Caldwell with his hands and a cable, assaulting her, compressing her wrists, intending to rape her and murdering her at an area of woodland known as Limefield woods in South Lanarkshire on April 5, 2005.
He denies all the charges against him, and has lodged special defences of incrimination, consent, defence of another and selfdefence.
Mr Goddard took Mr Barr through the statement that Packer had provided to police in 2007.
He asked Mr Barr if he remembered Packer telling him he got his “kicks” out of taking sex workers to Limefield woods.
Mr Barr said: “Yes.” Mr Goddard said: “Finally he admits one of the female sex workers he has taken to this remote spot is Emma Caldwell?” Mr Barr said: “Yes.” Packer told Mr Barr, the court heard: “Although I was with her at that location, I wasn't in any way responsible for her death. I had no idea that her body was where I went with the prostitutes.”
Later, the court heard Packer told detectives he had taken her there “I would say six times”.
In the statement, he told police he “loved the thrill” of using sex workers and “the buzz I got” from doing so.
The court also heard Packer took out personal loans to fund his use of sex workers.
The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.