Alesha MacPhail killer named after judge lifts identity restriction

The 16-year-old boy who raped and murdered Alesha MacPhail can be identified as Aaron Campbell after a judge allowed his name to be reported.

The body of the six-year-old was found in woods on the Isle of Bute on July 2 last year, hours after she was reported missing from the house her father shared with his parents and partner on the island.

A jury at the High Court in Glasgow took three hours to find the teenager guilty unanimously on Thursday, following a nine-day trial.

He could not previously be identified because he is under 18, but judge Lord Matthews on Friday ruled he can be named after considering an application from media outlets.

The judge said: “I think it would be naive to think that publishing his name would make any difference to how he is treated in custody.

“I can’t think of a case in recent times that has attracted such revulsion.

“I intend to grant the application. The press may name the accused and publish images of him.”

Alesha’s mother Georgina Lochrane was in court to hear the judge’s decision on Friday.

Earlier Tony Graham QC, the lawyer representing the media outlets, told Lord Matthews it would be “naive” to think the teenager’s identity is not already known among members of the Bute community and at Polmont Young Offenders Institute.

He said Campbell had already been named on Facebook, Twitter and was available via a Google search since last July.

Mr Graham also pointed to the defence used by Campbell, who tried to blame Toni McLachlan, the girlfriend of Alesha’s father, for the crime while maintaining his own anonymity.

He said: “There is a distinct lack of equity to this if the accused can impune the character of someone of 19, where the wrongly accused can be identified quite legally and properly by the media and the dishonest accuser enjoys statutory protection.”

The media outlets represented were Associated Newspapers, BBC Scotland, Sky, News UK & Ireland, Newsquest, Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail, and STV.

The court heard Campbell has a history of self-harm, depression and anxiety and that he has been tested for attention attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

During the trial the court heard he had a “dark sense of humour”, used cannabis and drank alcohol.

The Crown said on Friday that it would remain largely neutral on whether Campbell should be named.

Advocate depute Iain McSporran QC told the court: “I have no submissions that his Lordship should exercise his discretion one way or the other.”

The teenager took Alesha from the bed where she was sleeping and inflicted horrific injuries on her before dumping her body in woodland.

Brian McConnachie QC, representing Campbell, said during the hearing on whether he should be identified: “The fact that things may be on social media is not a reason that the court should overrule the prohibition.

“It’s little argument to say, well it’s going to happen (his identification) when he’s 18 anyway.”

Mr McConnachie also said the fact the boy had incriminated another person was no reason to identify him and that this would “simply be tit for tat”.

He said Campbell had been warned there was a “price on his head” and that publishing his name could exacerbate the situation as it would increase the number of people aware of his identity.

On Thursday, Mr McSporran said after the trial the guilty verdict removes the suggestion Ms McLachlan could have been involved.

Campbell will be sentenced next month.