Police Scotland apologized for failures in handling the case of murdered sex worker Emma Caldwell and other victims of her killer, Iain Packer, in 2005. Packer, aged 51, was found guilty of Caldwell's murder and 11 charges of rape against nine women, among other offenses. The police acknowledged shortcomings in their investigation. Caldwell, 27, disappeared in Glasgow in April 2005, and her body was found the following month. Packer denied all charges but admitted to indecently assaulting Caldwell. He is expected to be sentenced soon.
Police Scotland has issued an apology to the family of Emma Caldwell, a murdered sex worker, and other victims of her killer, Iain Packer, acknowledging a failure in policing in 2005.
Packer, aged 51, was convicted on Wednesday of the murder of Miss Caldwell, aged 27, who disappeared in Glasgow on April 4, 2005. Her body was discovered the following month in Limefield Woods near Roberton, South Lanarkshire.
In addition to the murder charge, Packer was found guilty of 11 counts of rape involving nine women, among numerous other offenses, following a six-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Packer was initially questioned by police a month after Miss Caldwell’s body was discovered.
Assistant Chief Constable Bex Smith of Police Scotland, in response to the conviction, expressed regret, stating, “Emma Caldwell, her family, and numerous other victims were let down by policing in 2005. For this, we offer our sincere apologies. A considerable number of women and girls, who displayed immense courage in coming forward during that time, also did not receive the justice and support they rightfully deserved from Strathclyde Police.”
Miss Caldwell vanished shortly after confiding in her mother Margaret about her aspirations to overcome a heroin addiction, which had developed following a family tragedy during her early 20s.
Coming from a tightly knit family, Miss Caldwell maintained regular contact with her parents, meeting them twice a week and speaking to them daily. Concern arose when she failed to respond to their attempts to rearrange a planned meeting, leading to her being reported missing.
Miss Caldwell’s body, bearing evidence of strangulation, was discovered by a dog walker in woodland on May 8, 2005.
During Packer’s trial, evidence was presented indicating a 97% match between soil samples collected from the site where Miss Caldwell’s body was found in 2021 and soil from Packer’s blue work van. Packer was subsequently charged by police in February 2022.
While denying all charges and accusing the women of falsehoods, Packer admitted to indecently assaulting Miss Caldwell. He expressed shame over his actions towards her and described his behavior towards other sex workers as "disgusting." However, he denied involvement in Miss Caldwell’s murder, asserting, “It wasn’t me who killed her. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do anything to her.”
Testimony from multiple women detailed Packer’s violent assaults on them.
Prosecutor Richard Goddard KC characterized Packer as a violent and obsessive user of sex workers with an unhealthy addiction to their services.
Packer was found guilty of 33 charges involving 21 women over a span of 26 years. Two charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault were not proven.
The jury deliberated for four days before delivering their verdict.
Packer is expected to be sentenced later on Wednesday.