The heartbroken mother of Alesha MacPhail has said her life will never be the same again following her daughter’s murder at the hands of a teenage boy.
Georgina Lochrane spoke of her immeasurable loss after the 16-yearold was found guilty of raping and killing the six-year-old girl in a crime presiding judge Lord Matthews branded one of the “most evil” to have ever come before him.
Ms Lochrane delivered a short statement after the verdict, and was joined by the girl’s grandparents in speaking of the lifelong grief which awaited her.
She said: “Words cannot express just how devastated I am to have lost my beautiful, happy, smiley wee girl.
“I am glad that the boy who did this has finally been brought to justice and that he will not be able to inflict the pain on another family that he has done to mine.
“Alesha, I love you so much, my wee pal. I will miss you forever.”
The MacPhail family’s statement added: “We can’t believe that we will never see our wee angel Alesha again. We miss her so much. We hope that the boy who took her from us is jailed for a long time because of what he has done to our family.
“Alesha may be gone from our lives but she will always be in our hearts.”
A jury at the High Court in Glasgow took three hours to find the teenager, who cannot be named due to his age, guilty unanimously, following a nine-day trial.
Alesha’s body was found in woods on the Isle of Bute on July 2 last year, her pink polka-dot pyjama shorts and white vest a short distance away.
Hours earlier, she had been reported missing from the house her father Robert MacPhail shared with his parents and partner, where the schoolgirl was staying for part of the school holidays.
Pathologist John Williams told the court Alesha had 117 separate injuries, and had died from “significant and forceful pressure to her neck and face”.
Some of the wounds she suffered were “catastrophic” – more severe than Mr Williams he had ever seen before – and were at least partially inflicted while she was still alive.
Judge Lord Matthews told the teenager he had committed some of the “wickedest, most evil crimes this court has ever heard”.
He said: “Alesha’s MacPhail was a sweet, angelic little girl.
"She would’ve gone home to her mother looking forward to tell stories to her and her friends.
“Instead of that you came into her life and stole her life. I have no idea what made you do this but the evidence was overwhelming.”
Advocate depute Iain McSporran QC said that the girl’s father could not put into words the pain he had suffered, and that “day-to-day life has become impossible”.
It was supposed to be a summer holiday filled with playing on the beach, bike rides and trips to the park.
Alesha had just finished primary two, where her teachers say she was a considerate, popular young girl.
They added she had a beautiful smile, and was a perfectionist when it came to her writing.
The little girl was to spend three weeks on the island at the three-bedroom flat on Ardbeg Road in Rothesay, home to her grandparents Calum MacPhail and Angela King.
Three days into her stay, she was extremely happy as she returned from a party clutching a balloon and, like most young children, took some persuading to go to bed.
Alesha finally fell asleep watching a Peppa Pig DVD after being put under her covers for the last time at around 10.30pm.
It was the last time her family saw her. In the early hours of Monday July 2, the teenager crept into her room, took her from her bed and carried her out into the night.
The nine-day trial heard evidence from Alesha’s 26-year-old father and from her grandparents, who described their last hours with the youngster.
Mr MacPhail Senior was the one to raise the alarm at around 6am, after almost walking into the door which opened out into the hallway as he went to the bathroom.
The family immediately began the search for Alesha, looking under beds, opening cupboards and pulling out drawers in desperation.
Ms King could still be heard checking a cupboard as she spoke to a police operator after dialling 999 at 6.23am.
In the conversation played to the jury, she said: “We’ve just got up this morning and my granddaughter’s missing.”
Describing Alesha, she said: “She’s a pretty wee girl with long blonde hair.”
A Facebook post appealing for help rallied neighbours, friends and strangers who searched the beach and park, and made inquiries at the taxi rank and ferry terminal.
By 9am, Alesha’s body had been found and the family were told to gather at the police station where they received the news they had been dreading.
Alesha’s grandfather’s eyes filled with tears as he told the jury: “We were all put into a room and about five minutes later a police officer came in and said, ‘we found her but she’s passed’”.
Jurors heard from Robert MacPhail’s 18-year-old partner Toni McLachlan, who said she loved Alesha “to pieces” and had only found out she was being incriminated a few days before she gave evidence.
Lastly came the evidence of the smartlyturned out and composed accused, who tried to blame Ms McLachlan for Alesha’s death by spinning a story about illicit sex and smuggled semen to explain the presence of his DNA on the little girl’s body.
Ms McLachlan, he said, could have been “fantasising about killing Alesha for months” after defence suggestions she was jealous of the child and felt threatened by the attention Mr MacPhail paid his daughter.
The intensive work of crime scene examiners, forensic experts and detectives told a different story, and the teenager’s claim was later branded “ridiculous” by Judge Matthews.
Speaking after the trial, Detective Superintendent Stuart Houston, senior investigating officer, paid tribute to Alesha’s family in the face of their tragedy.
He said: “I welcome today’s verdict and hope that it will bring some comfort to the family and friends of little Alesha MacPhail who have been through the most horrific ordeal.
“Throughout the police investigation and this trial, Alesha’s family have shown incredible bravery in the face of the most appalling circumstances.
“Alesha’s senseless and barbaric murder shocked the small community on Bute and people across Scotland. The effects of her death are still being felt today.”
Chief Superintendent Hazel Hendren, divisional commander for Argyll and West Dunbartonshire division, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to little Alesha.
“She was such a beautiful wee girl who was vibrant, funny and much loved. Her family have shown incredible bravery through what has been an unimaginable ordeal.
“This was an incident which shocked the tight-knit community of Rothesay to the core, but that community showed strength and determination to assist the police in any way they could, and I cannot thank them enough.
“Alesha’s murder has affected everyone and will continue to do so for a very long time. However, the resilience and unity of this community will help it recover in time.”
The father of Alesha shouted “f***ing scumbag” at the teenager as the killer was led to the cells. Lord Matthews said the killer’s name would be put on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
A decision over whether to lift his anonymity will be made at the High Court in Glasgow today, which the teenager will attend.
A psychological report will be made regarding the 16-year-old’s mental state. Sentencing was deferred until March 21.
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