CONVICTED rapist Graham McGill has been caged for life for the brutal murder of a mum-of-11 in her Glasgow home more than 36 years ago.
The 60-year-old must serve a minimum of 14 years in prison after he was sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen on Tuesday for the murder of Mary McLaughlin.
Graham McGill
McGill followed 58-year-old Mary home into her flat in Crathie Court, Partick in September 1984 where he viciously killed her by strangling her with the cord from her dressing gown.
Her body was found six days later when her son Martin Cullen went to visit.
Mary was lying on her back on her bed wearing a green dress and with the ligature tightly wound her neck three times.
She had been on a night out in the West End of the city and left a bar to go to a chip shop on the way home.
The jury heard she met McGill and they returned to Ms Laughlin’s flat, where he attacked and strangled her.
McGill was previously found guilty of the murder at the High Court in Glasgow last month.
He was charged with murder in 2019 after a new investigation into the killing, under the direction of the Procurator Fiscal, matched his DNA to that found on items belonging to Ms McLaughlin.
Serial offender McGill was serving a prison sentence for another crime at the time of the killing but had been granted home leave in preparation for his release.
Procurator Fiscal for Homicide and Major Crime David Green said: “This was a challenging investigation requiring complex and thorough work by specialist prosecutors.
“Under their direction, experts in forensic science saw an opportunity to use modern DNA techniques to analyse evidence from the scene that had been preserved by the original investigating officers before such techniques were available to them. This foresight ultimately led to Graham McGill’s conviction.
“Unresolved homicides are never closed, and the Crown is committed to working with police to bring these cases to court wherever possible.
“Our thoughts remain with Mary’s family, and I hope the sentence imposed today goes some way towards providing resolution for them.”
Detective Superintendent Suzanne Chow said: “Despite crimes occurring years ago, there is always hope of solving them one day, they are never forgotten. Mary’s family has waited a long time for justice and I hope today’s verdict provides some form of resolution for them. It is fitting to know that despite the passage of time, justice has finally been served. In all case reviews, families are uppermost in our minds and we work hard to present the best evidential case to ensure successful convictions.”
SPA Forensic Scientist Joanne Cochrane added: "The SPA Forensic Services Cold Case Review Team carried out a full forensic review of this case which identified a number of items for further DNA analysis using the very latest technologies available. This analysis resulted in finding DNA attributable to Graham McGill on several items, including a cigarette end, the ligature around Mary McLaughlin’s neck, and on the dress she had been wearing."
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