Man jailed for life for sexual assault and murder of his teenage sister Amber Gibson

A man convicted of the murder and sexual assault of his sister in a "depraved" attack has been ordered to spend at least 22 years behind bars.

Connor Gibson, 21, was handed the verdict at the High Court, in Livingston, on Monday.

Gibson was found guilty of attacking his sister, Amber Gibson, in woodland in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, on November 26 2021, removing her clothes, sexually assaulting with the intention of raping her, inflicting blunt force trauma to her head and body, and strangling her.

Stephen Corrigan, 45, who was found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice and breach of the peace by intimately touching and concealing Amber's body after discovering her at some point in the following two days - instead of contacting the emergency services - was jailed for nine years at the same court.

Sentencing Gibson, judge Lord Mulholland said: “She was looking forward to seeing you, she even posted a selfie on Snapchat.

“The person she saw last was you, sexually assaulting her with the intent to rape her, breaking her nose and strangling the life out of her.

“What you did was truly evil.

“Science told the world what you had done to Amber.”

Amber, 16, was reported missing on the evening of November 26 and her body was discovered in Cadzow Glen, in Hamilton, two days later on November 28 at 10.10am.

Gibson was arrested three days later, on December 1, and, the day before his arrest, posted a chilling tribute to the sister he had murdered, writing on Facebook: "Amber, you will fly high for the rest of time.

"We will all miss you. Especially me. I love you ginger midget. GBFN [goodbye for now] X."

During the trial, the court heard how evidence from forensic pathologists showed Amber had died as a result of compression of the neck.

In mitigation, Tony Graham KC, representing Gibson, told the court how he had been abused in his early years and had endured a “narrative of emotional abuse and neglect”.

Mr Graham said: “I make reference to these matters to reconcile how a brother can act in such a way.”

In a separate case, it emerged that Amber was raped five months before she was murdered by her brother.

Jamie Starrs, 20, assaulted Amber Gibson and raped her while she was asleep or unconscious at a property in Bothwell in June 2021 and was jailed for 10 and a half years last month after being convicted following a trial.

When Gibson was convicted, the former foster family of both siblings said in a statement that Amber was "the most giving, loving, supportive and admirable person", and their lives will "never be the same again".

The family said: "She kept us on our toes and had the most amazing outlook on life consider the suffering she had experienced."

The statement continued: "When they arrived at our home - Amber aged three and Connor aged five - Connor stated: 'We are safe now'.

"They were until he took her safety away."

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