Emma Caldwell killer to appeal after being jailed for life over 2005 murder
A man who was jailed for life with a minimum of 36 years for the murder of Emma Caldwell in 2005 is to appeal against his conviction and the length of his prison sentence.
Iain Packer was convicted of killing the 27-year-old sex worker and dumping her body at Limefield Woods in Lanarkshire 19 years ago. The 51-year-old was also found guilty of 32 other charges including 11 rapes and multiple sexual assaults against a total of 22 women following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow, Scotland.
Last week, he was given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years before he will be considered for parole. Packer has now launched a bid for freedom after instructing his legal team to challenge his conviction and the length of his sentence.
Emma Caldwell was killed in 2005 (PA)His appeal bid was lodged at the High Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh and a hearing will take place at a later date, reports the Daily Record. He will not be released pending his appeal and remains in custody.
Emma's death had been one of Scotland's most high-profile unsolved murders. The court heard Packer murdered her after driving her 40 miles from Glasgow to Limefield Woods near Biggar, Lanarkshire, where he strangled her and dumped her body.
Double killer who slit girlfriend's throat within weeks of release jailed
Packer had been interviewed six times by police investigating the murder and even led officers to the remote spot where her body had been found. However, Strathclyde Police pursued four innocent Turkish men for the murder in a botched investigation which cost £4million.
Police Scotland apologised for how the original inquiry was handled and for letting down Emma and other victims. Emma's family said she had been failed by police due to a "toxic culture of misogyny and corruption" which left Packer free to rape other women. The Scottish government is considering holding a public inquiry into what went wrong with the original investigation.
Sentencing Packer, Judge Lord Beckett told him: "You murdered a capable and compassionate, intelligent young woman who had planned to extricate herself from the difficult life she had been living. Emma was alone, in the dark, deprived of her phone and miles from any prospect of help."
The judge said Emma was taken from her family at a time when she was trying to take steps to change her life adding she was killed in "truly terrifying circumstances". Packer's sentence is the second longest ever handed down by a Scottish court, behind the 37-year minimum jail term given to World's End killer Angus Sinclair in 2014.
A Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service spokesperson confirmed an "intimation of intention to appeal" against conviction and sentence had been lodged on behalf of Packer.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
