Public inquiry to be held into police failings in Emma Caldwell murder two decades on

Police Scotland has already apologised to the family of Ms Caldwell and his other victims, saying they were “let down” by policing in 2005

A public inquiry will be held into Police Scotland's failings during the investigation of the murder of Emma Caldwell, the Scottish government has announced.

Ms Caldwell was killed by serial rapist Iain Packer in 2005 - but while officers interviewed him a month after her body was found in May that year, he was convicted of her murder, along with a series of rapes and other offences just last week.

Police Scotland has already apologised to the family of Ms Caldwell and his other victims, saying they were “let down” by policing in 2005.

The announcement comes after both Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf and his Justice Secretary Angela Constance met with the murdered woman’s mother earlier this week.

Ms Constance told MSPs that Ms Caldwell's mother told her: “My daughter Emma and the many victims who so courageously spoke up deserve nothing less than a robust, independent public inquiry and a judge who will act without fear or favour.

“There are those who say that such inquiries take too long. My family have struggled for 19 years to get justice and we will wait however long it takes to see the truth, and will accept nothing less.”

With Packer planning to appeal both his convictions and sentence, Ms Constance stressed there are “restrictions” on what she can say about the case.

Last week Packer was jailed for Ms Caldwell's murder and will serve a minimum 36 years.

During the court hearings, lawyers representing Ms Caldwell's family said it was one of Police Scotland's most expensive and complex investigations ever.

They claim £4 million was spent on wrongly accusing four Turkish men, who appeared in court in 2007, who were later found innocent.

in 2005, Ms Caldwell vanished days after telling her mother Margaret about her hopes to overcome a heroin addiction, which she funded with sex work in Glasgow.

She came from a close-knit family - her struggles with drugs began following the death of her sister in her early 20s.

She saw both parents twice a week and spoke to them daily.

Her family reported her missing after she failed to respond to attempts by them to change a planned meeting.

A dog walker found Ms Caldwell’s body in woodland, with a “garotte” around her neck, a month after her disappearance.

During Packer’s trial, the court heard a soil sample taken in 2021 from the site where Ms Caldwell’s body was found was a “97% match” with soil found in his blue work van, and Packer was charged by police in February 2022.

Packer was also convicted of raping 11 women among dozens of other charges, following a six-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

In total a jury found him guilty of 33 charges, relating to 22 victims, while three other charges, the court heard against him, were not proven.

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