27 April 2010

Unsolved Scottish Murders Mount-Up

Police in Scotland have a total of 77 unsolved murders on their files, it was reported today.

BBC Scotland said all eight Scottish forces were asked to supply the number of unsolved murders on their files.

Most only dated back to 1975 when the current force structure was established.

But the killings included the Bible John murders in Glasgow in the 1960s and another crime dating back 144 years.

Tayside Police gave details of the murders of Janet Henderson at a farm in Forgandenny near Perth in 1866, and Jean Milne, whose body was found in a house in Broughty Ferry in 1912.

Forces said they never close homicide investigations, with several "cold case" reviews carried out to take account of scientific developments.

Strathclyde Police said it had 53 unsolved homicides on file.These include the three victims of the serial killer known as Bible John.

Lothian and Borders police are reported to have six unsolved murders on file. The murder of two women last seen in the World's End pub in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh in 1979 is included in the list.

Convicted sex killer Angus Sinclair was cleared of the murders after a judge ruled there was no case to answer in 2007.

Tayside has 10 unsolved cases, Grampian reported four, Northern Constabulary had three and Fife one.

Central Scotland Police and Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary each reported they had no unsolved murders.

(LB/BMcC)