THE 16-year-old boy accused of raping and killing Alesha MacPhail replied "no comment" when charged with murder, a court has heard.
Alesha, aged six, was found naked lying face down in woodland near an abandoned hotel on the Isle of Bute on July 2, hours after being reported missing from her grandparents’ house.
The teen accused of murder, rape, child abduction and defeating the ends of justice denies all the charges against him at the High Court in Glasgow.
Giving evidence, Detective Constable Ian Wilson told the trial that, when the accused was charged with murder, he replied "no comment."
The accused was granted access to a lawyer, the detective confirmed.
He was present during police interview and taking statements.
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The court heard that officers who searched the house the accused shared with his mother, retrieved a knife block containing Jamie Oliver-branded kitchen knives.
Detective Constable Graham McIlwraith told the court that he recovered four knives, but there was space for five.
DC McIlwraith said: “It seemed reasonable that a knife might be missing and that could be important.”
Witness Karen MacBride, a fingerprint examiner with the Scottish Police Authority, told the court that fingerprints belonging to the accused had been found on the MacPhail property - but it was not possible to date them.
She took fingerprints from the stairwell leading to the MacPhail family home, where prints from the accused’s right-palm were discovered on July 11, above stairs 11 and 14.
Asked when they were there from, she said: “It’s not possible to age a fingerprint.”
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Under cross examination by defence Brian McConnachie, she confirmed the prints were found on a “chair rail” for a chair lift.
She reiterated it is “not possible to determine how long the print was there”.
No other prints belonging to the accused were found in the MacPhail home.
Temporary Detective Inspector Monica Hagerty was based in Rothesay during the investigations, and was present when a pair of jogging trousers and boxer shorts were recovered.
She attended the lad’s arrest on July 4 at 5pm, at his home.
He was then taken to Helen Street police station in Govan, Glasgow for questioning.
TDI Hagerty was the family liaison officer for the MacPhail family, and was notified of a female who reported seeing an altercation outside between Toni McLachlan and Robert MacPhail.
READ MORE: Girlfriend of Alesha MacPhail's dad denies having sex with accused on night of murder
Under cross examination, she claimed she couldn’t remember when the witness’ statement was taken.
Detective Constable Lisa Whitelaw, stationed at the major investigations team, collected CCTV footage for a ‘viewing log’.
She said that footage was collected from the home of the accused, and from two homes in Marine Place.
While watching footage from Marine Place, DC Whitelaw described seeing “a shadow moving across the shoreline”.
DC Whitelaw said she could see “something hanging down from the front” of the person walking.
She told the court the figure “slows down and appears to be carrying something in front of them”.
The trial continues.
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