Police Scotland are investigating several unsolved murders of women in Glasgow following the trial of serial rapist and killer Ian Parker, which has highlighted the horrific levels of violence faced by sex workers in the city.
Last Wednesday, Parker was sentenced to at least 36 years in prison for the 2005 murder of Emma Caldwell and a series of other sexual and violent crimes, including 11 rapes.
The murders of six women in Glasgow between 1991 and 1998 sparked fears of a serial killer targeting the city’s sex workers, with four women still unsolved 30 years later.
DCS Paul Livingstone, head of major crime at Police Scotland, said police were “aware of all these cases”.
As Parker’s case draws public attention to the violence faced by sex workers, he added that even before Parker’s verdict, the team working on the cold case was considering options.
“For us, they are still live investigations and they won’t be concluded until we have certainty,” he said. “Like any investigation, I won’t go into details. I can tell you that recently, even before the verdict in the Emma Caldwell trial, we were in discussions with some of these cases to see what we could do Something.”
Of the six dead women, only one killer – Margo Rafferty, who was murdered in 1998 – was successfully prosecuted at the time.
In 2019, 22 years after Tracey Wylde’s body was found, Zhi Min Chen was detained on suspicion of assault and his DNA matched samples found at the murder scene, and he confessed Murder.
In 1991, two people were arrested for the murder of Diane McInally, but no one was charged. A man went on trial for the murder of Karen McGregor in 1993 but is now dead, but a court found the allegations were not proven.
A 51-year-old man on trial for the murder of Leona McGovern has been found not guilty. A 55-year-old man went on trial over the 1996 murder of Jacqueline Gallagher, but murder charges were not proven.
While Livingston insists McGregor, McGovern and Gallagher’s cases remain open, they now fall under “double jeopardy.” In Scotland, since 2011 there have been very few exceptions to the rule that the same person cannot be tried twice for the same offence.
“We’re still reviewing them, but in the absence of new information or evidence that this is a completely different person, then we need to meet those thresholds [double jeopardy] The standards are pretty high,” he said.
During Parker’s six-week trial, details emerged of ongoing police failures, including a dismissive attitude toward reports of violence against sex workers and a refusal to follow up on warnings about his behavior.
Police Scotland apologized for the handling of the initial investigation by Strathclyde Police, which was merged into the national police force in 2013, and said Caldwell, her family and “many other victims “Disappointed with police work in 2005.”
Livingston acknowledged these failings, saying: “The way we investigate not just homicides but other crimes is completely different than it was back then. If we come across other crimes now in a homicide investigation, we don’t ignore it and we don’t ignore it. is going to deal with it.”
He added that the successful DNA match to Wilder’s killer 22 years later was a testament to the ability of the team, who review unsolved cases and ensure all relevant details are in place, so if a significant link is discovered, “it’s It won’t be missed.” crack”.
Livingston also praised the “amazing” work of the team that brought Parker to trial.
Acknowledging there were questions about the length of time Parker’s trial would take, he went on: “I think a conviction on all these charges would be unprecedented. So we apologize for the failure of the 2005 investigation but we are determined that no mistakes will be made again.” , and the workload on the case was staggering.”
Caldwell’s mother Margaret will meet Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yusuf tomorrow to discuss her call for a public inquiry into why it took almost 20 years to bring Parker to justice.
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