Alesha MacPhail mum: 'I want her to be remembered for more than a tragic death'
The mother of murdered six-year-old Alesha MacPhail has said she doesn't want her memory to be tainted by her tragic death.
Georgina Lochrane's family was left devastated after Alesha's lifeless, mutilated body was found in woodland on the Isle of Bute. Her teenage killer has now been jailed for life.
In her first television interview with STV News, 24-year-old mother Georgina said: "You read about it happening to someone else and you think 'Oh My God, what would I do with being in that position?' and now I'm there I still don't know what to do."
She maintains her other daughter gives her strength to carry on every day, adding she now has more good days than bad days following help from a dedicated support group.
"I have a wee girl, if I didn't have her I'd just crumble and be with Alesha right now but I have her. So I don't know maybe she's my strength.
"I've got to fight for her now, she's my fight.
"Everyday when I wake up every morning, I know I'm waking up for her."
Determined for Alesha to be remembered for more than her murder, she added: "I'm not going to sit back and allow her to be the little girl who got murdered in Rothesay, because that's not who she is."
Aaron Campbell, 16, was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 27 years after he snatched the six-year-old from her bed, raped her and then dumped her body in woodland on the remote Scottish island.
Campbell threw his clothing into the sea before going back to the scene to retrieve his phone, later denying to family members he had any involvement in the disappearance of the child.
Alesha's mother says there is not enough support friends and family members who have lost a loved one through murder or suicide. She now hopes to raise funds for the charity which has helped her through her ordeal.
Since before the murder trial, she has been receiving support from Families and Friends Against Murder and Suicide (FAMS), a Lanarkshire-based organisation which supports people in cases of extreme bereavement.
The charity has been given the keys to its first premises in Motherwell and Georgina is now raising funds for the building's transformation while training as a volunteer.
She said: "FAMS is helping me to not only deal with what happened to Alesha, they are also helping me with my mental state as well because there are still days when I wake up and I don't want to be here.
"Their support is like the light at the end of a tunnel."