In a dramatic turn of events at the High Court in Glasgow, a sex worker has come forward to identify murder accused Iain Packer, 50, as a patron who allegedly wore black, silky women's underwear and treated women roughly. Packer is currently on trial for the 2005 murder of sex worker Emma Caldwell, among 46 charges, including sex crimes, abduction, and assault.
Packer vehemently denies all charges against him, putting forth special defences of incrimination, consent, defence of another, and self-defence. The court recently heard a statement from a sex worker who identified a picture of Packer in 2006, describing him as a stocky man with a Glaswegian accent who would drive around extensively before engaging in business in a small white van, displaying a reluctance to use protection.
The deceased woman, who gave the statement in 2015, accused Packer of being physically rough with her, grabbing her hair during encounters near Gallowgate, a week apart from each other. She detailed two indecent assaults between 1993 and 2004 near Tennent's Brewery in the east end of Glasgow, alleging Packer harbored fantasies involving wearing women's underwear and treating women roughly.
According to her statement, Packer once wore black, silky women's underwear during an encounter, stating, "He was obviously very focused on getting into his fantasies, which was wearing women’s underwear and treating women rough."
Another witness, a single mother who claimed to have been paid £30 for sex by Packer in 1998 or 1999, testified that she initially refused to assist the police due to fear. She later revealed in 2021 that Packer had allegedly raped her, stating she "didn’t consent to that at all" and confessed to lying to the police in 2006 out of fear.
A third woman, aged 44, testified that Packer held a kitchen knife against her chest during a harrowing ordeal in June and July 2006, describing "two weeks of hell." She claimed Packer made it difficult for her to leave and brandished a knife, but ultimately backed off when challenged.
Packer is facing charges of strangling Emma Caldwell with his hands and a cable in 2005, intending to rape her, assaulting her, compressing her wrists, and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of her body and belongings. The trial, presided over by Judge Lord Beckett, continues with ongoing cross-examinations and testimonies.