GREED OF THE KILLER CARERS
Couple murdered teenager missing for 20 years – and claimed £182k of her benefits
THE callous carers of a woman who went missing 20 years ago have been convicted of her murder.
Edward Cairney, 77, and Avril Jones, 59, devised a web of lies, claiming Margaret Fleming was still alive. But their deceit unravelled after benefits staff raised the alarm about a scam in which Jones fleeced vulnerable Miss Fleming out of nearly £200,000.
Last night, Cairney and Jones were facing life sentences after a jury found them guilty of killing her. Prosecutors think Miss Fleming, who would have been 19 at the time, suffered a cruel death between December 1999 and January 2000 at the pair’s home in Inverkip, Renfrewshire.
Detective Superintendent Paul Livingstone, who led the inquiry, said Miss Fleming’s last days must have been a ‘living hell’.
He urged Cairney and Jones to tell police how she died and where her body is.
‘There’s only two people that know that – that is Edward
Cairney and Avril Jones… now’s the time to do the honest thing, do the right thing, and tell me what happened to Margaret,’ Mr Livingstone said.
Ex-marine engineer Cairney made a series of bizarre allegations, including a claim that Miss Fleming had become a gang master and was a drug dealer.
This was despite jurors being told that she had learning difficulties and could not live on her own.
Meanwhile, Jones continued to rake in £182,000 of benefits for her.
A missing person’s inquiry in 2016 later turned into a huge murder probe, leading to the couple being arrested for killing Miss Fleming.
Cairney and Jones continued to protest their innocence during a sevenweek trial at the High Court in Glasgow. But prosecutors told jurors that the pair had been motivated by ‘greed, arrogance and lies’.
The couple showed no emotion after being convicted of murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. Jones was also found guilty of benefit fraud.
Cairney – who had been on bail – was taken to the cells in his wheelchair, while Jones needed her crutches as she was led away by guards.
The trial heard that Miss Fleming had been a teenager when she first moved in with the couple.
Her father, Derek Fleming, was so concerned about her future that he stipulated in his will she should be cared for by Cairney and Jones, believing she would be safe living with his friends.
But the pair murdered their charge and covered up their crime for almost 20 years.
It emerged that when Miss Fleming came to live with them in 1997 the mortgage at their home, Seacroft, in Inverkip, was thousands of pounds in arrears. Prosecutors believe £4,000 left to Miss
‘Subject to daily punishment’
Fleming by her father and grandparents was used to pay off part of the arrears.
Over the years, Miss Fleming’s benefits money, which was claimed by Jones, was used to pay household bills.
Prosecutor Iain McSporran, QC, said: ‘Their motive for inviting Margaret Fleming into their home is likely to be financial, rather than altruistic.’
After the murder, the pair began preparing an elaborate cover story.
Jones told her mother Miss Fleming had left on January 5, 2000, with travellers.
Her murder might never have been uncovered if it had not been for a change in benefits from disability living allowance to personal independence payment, and the need to fill in new claim forms.
When Jones made an outrageous benefits claim on behalf of Miss Fleming the spotlight was turned on her carers.
Benefits staff contacted Inverclyde social work department, which then called in police in 2016.
A murder investigation began and the back garden at Seacroft was searched for signs of a body. All police found were 298 fragments of burned bone, too small to identify as human.
Regarding Miss Fleming’s ordeal, Mr Livingstone said: ‘She was subjected to daily punishment including being tied up, having her hair cut short and deprived of food. She was subjected to what can only be described as horrific living conditions.’
He said that for her killers to ‘continue the charade for all these years is absolutely abhorrent’, adding: ‘We will never know how Margaret was killed. What we do know is that she lived her last days in what can only be described as a living hell.
‘She must have felt she was alone in the world with no one coming to help her, which is absolutely heartbreaking.’
Lord Matthews deferred sentencing until July 17, pending reports. He told Cairney and Jones: ‘You have been convicted of the murder of Margaret Fleming. The only sentence the court can impose is one of life imprisonment.
‘However, as part of that I have to fix a period which must pass before you are eligible to apply for parole.’