Yousaf under pressure to hold inquiry after Caldwell meeting
Humza yo us af has promised the mother of Emma Caldwell that he will “give primary consideration” to her plea for an inquiry into the handling of her daughter’s murder – with an update to Holyrood expected “within days”.
The First Minister is under pressure to announce a full inquiry into the handling of the case after it took almost 19 years to bring Margaret Caldwell’s daughter’s killer to justice.
Iain Packer has been jailed for life with after being found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow of murdering 27-year-old Emma in 2005 and of multiple offences involving other women.
Ms Caldwell, along with her lawyer Aamer Anwar, met with the First Minister and justice secretary Angela Constance at Bute House yesterday. She is also due to meet Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain and Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell.
Following the Bute House meeting, Mr Anwar issued a statement on behalf of Ms Caldwell. He insisted Mr Yousaf “promised that he will give primary consideration to the family's demands for a statutory public inquiry ”, adding ms con stance“will update Parliament within days of the decision”.
Mr Anwar said Mr Yousaf and Ms Constance treated Ms Caldwell“with total compassion and empathy".
The lawyer said Ms Caldwell and her family “are angry to read reports” the Crown Office has concluded there was“insufficient evidence of criminality on the part of any police officer involved in the investigation of Emma Caldwell's murder”.
“Such a conclusion is insulting to the family and contrasts sharply with the evidence presented by former police officers of their investigation into Iain Packer being sabotaged, in order to pursue a false allegation against four Turkish men,” Mr Anwar said.
The lawyer said Ms Caldwell and her family “welcome the public statements of Humza Yousaf on tackling misogyny and violence against women”, adding “we hope he will now commit to a robust and independent public inquiry on the catastrophic failures in the Emma Caldwell case”. Mr First Minister Humza Yousaf meets Margaret Caldwell, the mother of the late Emma Caldwell, at Bute House.
An war stressed that Ms Caldwell“wants more than words of condolences or apologies”.
He said: “She believes an immediate public inquiry must be ordered. anything less would be a betrayal of Emma Caldwell and the 22 other women who evidence heard at trial. Margaret and her family and deeply grateful to the first minister and justice secretary and hope there will finally be a legacy of Emma Caldwell.
Speaking after the meeting, ms Constance acknowledged Ms Caldwell has endured a “long wait for justice”.
She said: “There is no doubt they were let down, so it is right that Police Scotland has apologised for the failures of the original investigation. The First Minister and I discussed Margaret’s call for a judge-led public inquiry and, as the First Minister made clear last week, we are very open to this. He was also clear that we wanted to meet with Emma’s family and hear their views directly before making any decisions. We will now seriously reflect on today’s discussion and give the family’s calls for a judge-led public inquiry primary consideration as we consider next steps.”
An immediate public inquiry must be ordered. Anything less would be a betrayal Aamer Anwar