I was hopeful at first, hopeful that there might, at last, be justice for Emma but, as the years pass, it now feels like a cruelty
Victim’s mother on loss and fresh agonies as police inquiry into unsolved murder enters its 16th year
“Some days it can feel like a long time, I suppose, but some days, most days, it feels like the blink of an eye. The years pass but, for us, time stands still.”
It is 15 years since Margaret Caldwell lost her youngest daughter, Emma, and it is five years since Police Scotland was ordered to reopen the investigation into her unsolved murder.
Now, as the inquiry into her daughter’s death enters a 16th year, Mrs Caldwell has spoken of her enduring loss and her now flickering hopes for justice.
“I was hopeful, even thankful, when the inquiry was reopened that, finally, there would be justice for Emma,” said Mrs Caldwell, “and that’s all we ever wanted.
“We were hopeful, at first, but being asked to wait year after year, waiting for news that never comes, now seems like a cruelty. The police have spoken to us but they don’t really say anything, nothing that matters or changes anything. I would rather know something, anything, even if it’s bad news, rather than be left like this.
“After all this time, I can only judge people on what they do, not what they say. Words are easy and we have heard a lot of words. The police used to tell us they were doing everything they could to find Emma’s killer and we believed them. Knowing what we know, it is harder to believe them now.”
Emma, who came from Erskine, Renfrewshire, was found dead in woods in rural South Lanarkshire on May 8, 2005. She had last been seen alive a month before on the streets of Glasgow, a 45-minute drive away but, after a two-year murder investigation, the case against four Turkish men collapsed.
Then, 10 years after Emma’s death, in April 2015, a newspaper revealed a forgotten suspect, Iain Packer. He had been interviewed six times by detectives when, after changing his story several times, he finally admitted knowing Emma, who had been working on the red-light streets of Glasgow after becoming addicted to drugs.
Eventually, during his sixth and final police interview, he directed officers to the forest track where Emma had been found dead. After returning to the station, 30 miles away in Glasgow, he was released and never spoken to again, despite telling officers he had taken Emma and other women to the isolated woodland on several occasions.
Police always insisted the case was never closed but, despite reviewing the files annually, did nothing to pursue the forgotten suspect until his existence was revealed five years ago.
Many officers involved in the original murder inquiry went on to enjoy successful careers with the Strathclyde force and Police Scotland, with several being promoted to very senior ranks. Most of the officers involved have since retired.
In February, Packer, who has denied being responsible for Emma’s death, was jailed for two years for attacking his former partner.
Meanwhile, Police Scotland and the Crown Office insist inquiries are ongoing but progress, if any, in the reopened investigation into Emma’s murder remains unclear.
Three years ago, Mrs Caldwell, 71, met Lord Advocate James Wolffe in Edinburgh to be assured
– Margaret Caldwell on Police Scotland inquiry
‘
My daughter died 15 years ago. They asked to me wait. How much longer can I wait?
that everything possible was being done to win justice for her daughter.
“That’s certainly what he told us but that was three years ago. This new police investigation started five years ago and my daughter Emma died 15 years ago,” said Mrs Caldwell.
“How much time do they need? How much longer can it take? They asked me to be patient. How much more patient can I be? They asked to me wait. How much longer will I be able to wait?”
Her husband Willie died of cancer in 2011 at 62, an illness Mrs Caldwell blames on stress caused by Emma’s murder. His last conversations were about wanting justice for his daughter.
Mrs Caldwell said: “I can’t give up for Emma and I can’t give up for Willie. I try to be strong for them but it’s hard sometimes. Sometimes, the sadness just takes a hold of me. Sometimes it feels like it will never let me go.”
Yesterday, Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: “The investigation into Emma Caldwell’s murder remains open and detectives continue to examine the circumstances of her death.
“Officers have undertaken a significant amount of work reinvestigating the whole case and surrounding events following instruction from the Lord Advocate in 2015.
“A report was submitted to the Crown Office in June 2018 and, following further guidance received from them, our investigation continues. The team remains fully committed to catching Emma’s killer.”
Meanwhile, the Crown Office said it was “unable to comment on a live police investigation”.