JURORS were told teenager Amber Gibson was "appallingly" murdered by the brother she must have trusted.

Prosecutor Richard Goddard KC delivered his speech to jurors at the end of the trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Connor Gibson, 20, is charged with the sexual assault and murder of the 16-year-old at Cadzow Glen, on Friday, November 26, 2021.

He is joined in the dock by 45-year-old Stephen Corrigan.

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Corrigan is accused of a breach of the peace and attempting to defeat the ends of justice including claims he found Amber's dead body, inappropriately touched her and hid her body under bushes and branches.

Mr Goddard told the jury that it was a "tragedy" that the last face she ever saw was Gibson's.

The advocate depute added that he obstructed efforts to find Amber's body.

Mr Goddard went on to state that Corrigan had a "large window of opportunity to commit "disgraceful crimes."

He said: "Taking all separate sources in combination, it paints a clear picture that Gibson sexually assaulted and murdered his sister.

"From him going to Cadzow Glen with her, we saw him emerge muddy, dishevelled, going back to the Blue Triangle to tell a pack of lies about where he had been and what he did that evening.

"She lay there until the Sunday morning, enough time for Corrigan to commit sordid acts.

"He handled her body and handled intimate areas of her."

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Mr Goddard went into 21 different circumstances which linked Gibson to the murder and sexual assault of Amber.

He stated that Gibson “definitely disposed evidence" in the aftermath and told lie after lie after lie about where he was and when he last saw his sister.

“The only thing he knew was to try and obstruct her as he knew what he had done.”

Mr Goddard asked the jury what Gibson’s intentions were by being in a quiet, dark park.

He said: “Gibson violently assaulted her, broke her nose, ripped off her bra and top and pulled off her joggers and underwear.”

The depute then pointed to evidence that a medical bandage with Gibson’s DNA on it was found near Amber’s body. 

Mr Goddard claimed Gibson strangled Amber and struck her on the head.

He said that the last anyone saw of Amber was on CCTV in the company of Gibson heading to one of the entrances where her body was found on Sunday morning.

Jurors were reminded that Gibson was not spotted on the same CCTV again until over 90 minutes later.

Mr Goddard said: “What was he doing in a dark secluded place for all that time? The very same place where Amber was later to be found.

“Taking it all together, it looks very suspicious.”

Mr Goddard claimed that there was evidence of a struggle between the pair and both ended up muddy.

The depute stated that Gibson was “caught red handed” throwing out a t-shirt and shorts when he returned home later that night.

He said: “Gibson knew his clothing would have compelling evidence, this was an effort in disposing it as quick as he could - he knew the severity.”

Mr Goddard further recalled that Gibson’s DNA was found on Amber’s bra, jogging bottoms, shorts being used as underwear and her body.

The depute then took the jury to the aftermath following Amber being reported missing.

He stated that Gibson “obstructed all efforts to try and bring back his sister.”

Mr Goddard claimed that Gibson told lies to members of staff at his own housing unit as well as police officers.

He said while Amber was still missing: “Gibson refused to say where he last saw her. Why obstruct police finding your own 16-year-old sister.

“The obvious answer is he didn’t want police finding her as he murdered her.”

Mr Goddard reminded jurors that Gibson sent a text message to Amber’s phone later that night that was never opened by her asking if she was okay.

The depute states: “He doesn’t try to phone her on Saturday or Sunday - he doesn’t try to message her - nothing.”

Mr Goddard then turned his attention to Corrigan who allegedly had his DNA on 39 areas of Amber’s body including intimate areas

He said: “Virtually no part of her body went untouched by Corrigan.”

Concluding, Mr Goddard told the jury: “We have listened to evidence of the appalling murder of a 16-year-old girl by a person she must have trusted.

“You have heard overwhelming evidence of the outrageous acts committed on her by Corrigan.

“You have 21 separate circumstances arising from the evidence pointing in the same way against Gibson.

“You have 11 circumstances incriminating Corrigan and left with no remotely plausible explanation for the DNA given by forensic scientists.

"These points provide you as a jury with the reassurance you deserve to be satisfied that the right verdicts in this case are verdicts of guilty for each accused and that is what I invite you to do."

Tony Graham KC, defending Gibson, told the jury in his speech that there is not a time for Amber's death.

He said: "Can you convict someone of murder when you don't know when the person dies?"

The advocate also stated that Gibson did assault his sister which resulted in blunt force injuries, but did not cause her death.

Mr Graham reminded jurors that Amber's cause of death was compression of the neck.

He said: "Where does that take you in deciding that Connor Gibson should be found guilty of his sister's murder?

"There is no evidence of contact with the neck."

In his conclusion, he asked the jury to convict Gibson of assaulting Amber with every allegation deleted other than "inflict blunt trauma to her head".

Gibson and Corrigan deny the charges.

Rhonda Anderson, defending Corrigan, reminded the jury that her client had initially been charged by police with Amber's murder.

She said: "If there is one thing I ask you all is that you don't make the same mistake that the police did and presume a crime has been committed simply because of the DNA."

The solicitor advocate also went over the CCTV evidence during the trial.

She said: "Police trawled through CCTV in Blantyre and looking to place him in Cadzow Glen that weekend.

"What did they find? Absolutely nothing."

Miss Anderson referred jurors to Amber and Connor Gibson being captured on camera but Corrigan did not appear.

She said: "If the crown say he went to Cadzow Glen, did he parachute into Cadzow Glen?"

Miss Anderson added that it was "entering into the realm of ridiculousness."

Miss Anderson also told jurors that Corrigan's phone was not picked up by a cell site at Cadzow Glen.

Judge Lord Mulholland will complete his legal directions tomorrow (tue) before jurors are sent out to consider their verdict.

The trial continues before Judge Lord Mulholland.