A man who raped many women has been sent to prison for 36 years because he killed a woman whose body was found in the forest a month after she disappeared in 2005.
Iain Packer, 51, was in court being tried for the death of 27-year-old Emma Caldwell in South Lanarkshire.
He was also found guilty of touching her inappropriately, and committing several sexual assaults on other women.
Miss Caldwell went missing on April 4, 2005, and then her body was found a few weeks later in Limefield Woods near the village of Roberton.
A few days ago, she told her mom Margaret that she wants to quit using heroin. She started using it in her early twenties after a family member died.
She was very close to her parents, and when she didn’t show up for a planned meeting, they quickly called the police to report her missing.
On May 8, someone walking a dog found her dead with a rope around her neck.
Packer was not arrested by the police until February 2022.
Police Scotland’s Assistant Chief Constable Bex Smith said that Emma Caldwell, her family, and many other victims were not supported by the police in 2005. We apologize for that.
Many women and girls who were brave enough to speak up did not get the help and fairness they needed from Strathclyde Police.
During evidence, the defendant admitted indecently assaulting Miss Caldwell.
During the trial, the person accused admitted to sexually assaulting Miss Caldwell in a way that was not appropriate.
But he kept saying he didn’t do any of the things they accused himof,even the accusations of raping 11 women. He said they were all lying.
Packer was accused of 36 crimes against 25 women. He said his actions toward sex workers were terrible and he felt ashamed of how he treated Miss Caldwell.
He said in court that he didn’t kill her. It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t do anything to her.
During the six-week trial, the jury listened to several women who talked about how Packer violently attacked them.