The family of Emma Caldwell are to meet First Minister John Swinney and Justice Secretary Angela Constance amid concerns over who should lead a public inquiry into the police investigation of her murder.
Emma was 27 years old when she was murdered by serial rapist Iain Packer in 2005. The 51-year-old was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 36 years in February 2024.
In March last year, the Scottish Government announced a public inquiry into the police handling of the murder investigation, and said that consideration would be given to it being led by a judge from outside Scotland.
Emma’s family have pushed for the appointment of a judge from outside the Scottish jurisdiction, but a statement released on their behalf by their lawyer, Aamer Anwar, says they have been left with “no reassurance” on this point.
The statement read: “The family have been left with no reassurance and feel there has been a deliberate attempt to impose a Scottish judge in the interim.
“The scale of the crimes and the failures are so catastrophic that only an independent judge outside of the Scottish justice system would suffice. The police and the Crown Office cannot be trusted to investigate themselves or their former superiors.”
Emma’s mother Margaret, her family and Mr Anwar are set to raise the issue in a meeting with John Swinney and Angela Constance next week.
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Emma’s body was found in Limefield Woods, near Roberton, South Lanarkshire, on May 8 2005, more than a month after she went missing in the southside of Glasgow. Police interviewed Packer that June but he was not convicted until almost two decades later.
Four Turkish men were charged with her murder in 2007. The case against them was dropped in 2008.
Police were ordered to reinvestigate in 2015 after former detective Gerry Gallacher took his bombshell investigation on Packer and police bungling to the Daily Record’s sister paper the Sunday Mail, which then named Packer as a forgotten suspect.
Packer was arrested over Emma’s murder in 2022 and appeared in court, where he denied the charge. Charges relating to other women followed in the months ahead.
He was found guilty of 33 separate charges, including Emma’s murder, 11 rapes and 21 charges, including sexual assaults, against other women.
An attempt to appeal to have the length of his sentence reduced was refused in August last year.
Police Scotland have since apologised to the family of Emma and his other victims for how the original inquiry was handled, saying they were “let down”.
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
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