Caldwell family to express fear of questioning to FM

The family of murder victim Emma Caldwell will meet First Minister John Swinney next week to express their concerns about an independent public inquiry into the case.

Serial sex offender Ian Packer, 51, was jailed for life last year after being found guilty of strangling a 27-year-old man in 2005.

The Scottish Government later announced an investigation into the handling of the investigation by the police.

But lawyer Aamir Anwar said there had been “no progress” in meeting the family’s request for a judge to be appointed from outside Scotland.

He said: “The scale of the crimes and failings is so devastating that only an independent judge outside the Scottish justice system would suffice.”

Packer was interviewed by detectives a month after the sex worker’s body was found in remote woods in South Lanarkshire on 8 May 2005 – five weeks after she was last seen in Glasgow city centre.

But it took 19 years to bring him to justice.

The case was one of Scotland’s most high-profile unsolved murders ever bbc revelations investigation This led to Packer’s arrest.

In February last year, he was convicted of crimes against a total of 22 women, including 11 rapes.

Packer was ordered to spend a minimum of 36 years in prison – the second longest sentence ever handed down by a Scottish court.

Following the verdict, Police Scotland apologized for the way the original investigation was handled.

The force also said it had let Emma and other victims down.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament last March, Justice Secretary Angela Constance confirmed there would be a judge-led inquiry.

Ms Constance said she believed the statutory public inquiry was a “very important undertaking”.

But he told MSPs: “Yet given the seriousness of this case, the time it has taken to get justice, the horrific extent of sexual violence suffered by victims and survivors, and the suffering endured by their families, the case because “It is clear and compelling to hold a public inquiry.”

But since then, Mr Anwar said the family have received “no assurances” and he fears “a deliberate attempt to impose a Scottish judge in the interim”.

“The scale of the crimes and the failings are so devastating that only an independent judge outside the Scottish justice system would suffice,” a statement from the family said.

The lawyer described the conduct of the first murder investigation as “The worst scandal ever to hit the Scottish legal system”,

He said the then-Strathclyde Police and Police Scotland had “put their uniforms to shame” and added: “The individuals responsible must now face justice.”

Emma’s mother Margaret and other relatives will accompany Mr Anwar when he meets the First Minister and Constance on Tuesday.

Ahead of the talks, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with Emma’s family for the terrible loss, pain and grief they have suffered over many years.

“As announced in March, there will be an independent, judge-led, statutory public inquiry into the investigation into Emma’s murder in 2005.

“The First Minister and Justice Secretary are grateful for the opportunity to meet the family next week for further discussions.”