Emma Caldwell’s killer convicted nearly two decades after first police interview
The scandal of one of Scotland’s longest cold cases as suspect who was interviewed in initial investigation is convicted of murder and multiple rapes
Nearly two decades after the body of Emma Caldwell was found in an isolated woodland, a man who was interviewed in the initial investigation has been convicted of her murder and of being a serial rapist.
The unsolved murder was one of Scotland’s longest cold cases, and was branded a “scandal” by an ex-newspaper editor who exposed Iain Packer as the “forgotten suspect”, after which police and prosecutors reopened the inquiry.
The jury took four days to find Packer guilty of murdering the 27-year-old, who went missing in Glasgow on April 4 2005 and whose body was found in Limefield Woods, near Roberton, South Lanarkshire, the following month.
He was also convicted of indecently assaulting Miss Caldwell and raping nine women among dozens of sex offences spanning 26 years, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Packer, from the east end of Glasgow, was convicted of raping an underage girl in 1990, which the court heard during the trial was dismissed by the child’s family.
He was first reported to police in March 1999 after a sex worker stole a tax disc from his vehicle to have proof of his identity after he raped her.
He preyed on “young, vulnerable and drug-addicted” sex workers in Glasgow’s red light area, and had a pattern of violent behaviour which included strangling women, the court heard.
Packer presented himself as a “jack the lad” who worked for a family business and enjoyed “treating women rough” and wore women’s underwear, according to one victim who was assaulted between 1993 and 2004, near the Tennent’s Brewery in the east end of Glasgow – the area where many attacks took place.
Miss Caldwell vanished on April 4 2005, days after telling her mother Margaret about her hopes to kick a heroin addiction, which began following a family bereavement in her early 20s.
She came from a close-knit family and saw both parents twice a week and spoke to them daily.
She was reported missing after she failed to respond to attempts to change a planned meeting with her mother.
A dog walker found Miss Caldwell’s body in woodland, with a “garotte” around her neck, on May 8, 2005.
Her father William, who died in 2011, made his family promise they would get justice for her.
The scandal of one of Scotland’s longest cold cases as suspect who was interviewed in initial investigation is convicted of murder and multiple rapes
Nearly two decades after the body of Emma Caldwell was found in an isolated woodland, a man who was interviewed in the initial investigation has been convicted of her murder and of being a serial rapist.
The unsolved murder was one of Scotland’s longest cold cases, and was branded a “scandal” by an ex-newspaper editor who exposed Iain Packer as the “forgotten suspect”, after which police and prosecutors reopened the inquiry.
The jury took four days to find Packer guilty of murdering the 27-year-old, who went missing in Glasgow on April 4 2005 and whose body was found in Limefield Woods, near Roberton, South Lanarkshire, the following month.
He was also convicted of indecently assaulting Miss Caldwell and raping nine women among dozens of sex offences spanning 26 years, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Packer, from the east end of Glasgow, was convicted of raping an underage girl in 1990, which the court heard during the trial was dismissed by the child’s family.
He was first reported to police in March 1999 after a sex worker stole a tax disc from his vehicle to have proof of his identity after he raped her.
He preyed on “young, vulnerable and drug-addicted” sex workers in Glasgow’s red light area, and had a pattern of violent behaviour which included strangling women, the court heard.
Packer presented himself as a “jack the lad” who worked for a family business and enjoyed “treating women rough” and wore women’s underwear, according to one victim who was assaulted between 1993 and 2004, near the Tennent’s Brewery in the east end of Glasgow – the area where many attacks took place.
Miss Caldwell vanished on April 4 2005, days after telling her mother Margaret about her hopes to kick a heroin addiction, which began following a family bereavement in her early 20s.
She came from a close-knit family and saw both parents twice a week and spoke to them daily.
She was reported missing after she failed to respond to attempts to change a planned meeting with her mother.
A dog walker found Miss Caldwell’s body in woodland, with a “garotte” around her neck, on May 8, 2005.
Her father William, who died in 2011, made his family promise they would get justice for her.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:07 [Music]
00:15 My name is Amar Anwar, I'm the solicitor acting on behalf of Margaret Colwell, the mother of Emma Colwell and also with her family.
00:22 Today's statement is following the guilty verdict at the murder trial of Ian Packer.
00:26 Over the years I have stood on the steps of the High Court and said the dead cannot cry out for justice, it is the duty of the living to do so for them.
00:34 Well Margaret Colwell, Emma's mother, has more than fulfilled that duty.
00:38 Emma was a much loved daughter and sister and when her life was cruelly taken away nearly 19 years ago her family's lives were torn apart forever.
00:46 The moment Emma went missing Margaret's life changed forever, she has thought about her every minute of every day.
00:53 When William's Emma's father died in 2011 he made his wife Margaret promise she would never give up the fight for justice.
01:00 Many will ask Margaret how she feels following the verdict.
01:03 She says she feels no joy, no elation, no closure.
01:07 The loss of Emma shattered a mother's soul but finally the presence of justice allows Margaret to breathe again.
01:14 It is only because of the perseverance of a mother and father and the many women who so courageously came forward that justice is possible today.
01:23 Today Margaret Colwell wishes to honour those women, some of whom were sex workers who spoke up not just for Emma but for the many unknown victims of Ian Packer.
01:32 But Margaret also wishes to acknowledge those who have been lost due to illness, overdose and other forms of harm.
01:40 The family have no trust in the police or Crown Office investigating themselves.
01:45 In the coming days we have been told we will meet with the First Minister, with the Lord Advocate and the Chief Constable.
01:51 If there is no time limit on justice then any officers retired or not suspected of criminality must be prosecuted.
02:07 I'm Assistant Chief Constable Bec Smith. I'm the Assistant Chief Constable for Major Crime, Public Protection and Local Crime in Police Scotland.
02:14 Emma Caldwell, her family and many other victims were let down by policing in 2005.
02:22 For that we are sorry.
02:24 A significant number of women and girls who showed remarkable courage to speak up at that time also did not get the justice and support they needed and deserved from Strathclyde Police.
02:38 Police Scotland launched a reinvestigation of the case in 2015 after instruction from the Lord Advocate.
02:47 It is clear that further investigations should have been carried out into Emma's murder following the initial inquiry in 2005.
02:56 The lack of investigation until 2015 caused unnecessary distress to her family and all of those women who came forward to report sexual violence.
03:08 It's the courage, resilience and determination shown by Emma's family, in particular her parents, William and Margaret and all of those who survived Ian Packer's horrific catalogue of offending that got us to where we are today.
03:24 William is sadly no longer here to see this day but I hope this verdict gives Margaret and all of those affected by this case the justice they deserve.
03:37 This was an extremely challenging reinvestigation and without doubt the largest police inquiry of recent times in Scotland.
03:46 Over seven years a full review of the original inquiry by Strathclyde Police in 2005 was completed.
03:54 More than 30,000 documents and statements were gathered and reviewed along with in excess of 23,000 productions.
04:02 New forensic tests were carried out and new witnesses were identified and interviewed leading to the convictions today.
04:09 Ian Packer was a calculating sexual predator who targeted women over many years.
04:16 It's hard to comprehend how anyone could carry out such despicable, ruthless acts.
04:22 He took Emma's life for his own gratification in the most appalling circumstances and cruelly left her body in remote woods hoping to cover his tracks.
04:32 But time is no barrier to justice and I would urge anyone who's been the victim of sexual violence to please come forward and speak to us.
04:41 You will be listened to and you will be supported no matter when the offences took place.
04:49 We have reflected and learnt from the initial investigation and subsequent reinvestigation.
04:55 Significant changes have been made in recent years to improve our organisational culture and our response.
05:02 Particularly in respect of investigative structures, victim care and processes to these types of crimes.
05:08 Our violence against women and girls strategy demonstrates our absolute commitment to tackling the violence and abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.
05:18 What shone through to the inquiry team throughout the investigations into Emma's life was her gentle personality.
05:27 And I want to finish by saying that our thoughts remain with Emma, her family and all those affected by this terrible case. Thank you.
05:36 [Music]
05:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]