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Edinburgh Live
11-07-2025
- Edinburgh Live
Former Edinburgh police chief says murderers 'must reveal where bodies are to get parole'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A former police chief who brought killer Peter Tobin to justice says he backs calls for murderers who do not reveal where victims' bodies are to be kept in prison. David Swindle told the Daily Record podcast, Criminal Record, that he backs Suzanne's Law. This demands that killers must disclose their victim's whereabouts if they are to be considered for parole. The Scottish Government has included a proposal for Suzanne's Law in the Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill which is going through parliament. Suzanne's Law is named after office worker Suzanne Pilley, who was murdered by colleague and ex David Gilroy in 2010. He was sentenced to life in 2012 but has never revealed what he did with her body, which is believed to be buried in Argyll. Other high-profile cases include Arlene Fraser, Margaret Fleming and Lynda Spence. Swindle, who probed more than 100 murders in a 34-year police career, said: 'We need to have something like a Suzanne's Law to stop people getting out if they don't reveal what they did with the body. 'With Suzanne Pilley her body has never been found and there is a person convicted of that, the same as Arlene Fraser, Margaret Fleming and Lynda Spence. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox 'These people have never revealed what they did with the bodies. If they don't reveal what they did they should not then be eligible for parole. If your loved one is murdered by someone who is in prison and has never revealed what they did with the body you would not want them to get out." Swindle, who retired in 2011, says a murder without a body leaves victims' families in limbo. He added: 'People think by destroying the body that there is no evidence but you will still be caught." England and Wales already have a similar measure – Helen's Law. Suzanne's dad Rob died in 2019 without knowing where she was buried. Detectives believe Gilroy killed her in the building where they worked in Edinburgh after he confronted her over ending their affair. Arlene, from Elgin, Moray, vanished from her home in 1998 after her children went to school. Her husband Nat Fraser, who is serving life for her murder, has refused to say what became of his wife. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Avril Jones and Edward Cairney were jailed for life in 2019 for killing Margaret, 19, at their home in Inverkip. They refused to say where they put her. Financial adviser Lynda was abducted, tortured and killed in 2011. Colin Coats and Philip Wade were convicted of killing the 27-year-old Glaswegian in 2013. Her body has never been found. Swindle led the probe into Tobin's murder of Polish student Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006 for which he got life. He set up Operation Anagram which led to Tobin being convicted of the murders of Vicky Hamilton, 15, and Dinah McNicol, 18. A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Justice Secretary supported an amendment at Stage 2 in May which requires the Parole Board to take account of whether the prisoner has information about the disposal of the victim's remains but has not disclosed it. "If the Bill is passed then this will become law."
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
New proposals to expand victim notification scheme
More victims could be given access to information about the person who committed a crime against them and have a say on decisions about their release under new government people can register with the Victim Notification Scheme (VNS) if the offender in their case has been sentenced to 18 months or more in prison, or with the Victim Information Scheme if the sentence was less than 18 proposals would see all victims having access to the same information regardless of the length of the offender's Scottish government said the reforms put victims rights at the "heart of the justice system". The plans would also give all victims the right to make representations where an offender is being considered for release on licence – and on the licence conditions they would like to see the moment this entitlement only applies where an offender was sentenced to four years or more in Minister Siobhian Brown said: "These changes recognise that a victim's rights should not hinge on the length of sentence that the perpetrator is serving."We want victims to know their rights to receive information and to be supported to make informed choices on whether they wish to do so. We will continue to work closely with victims' representatives as we take forward these reforms."The range of information available through the VNS for victims of offenders in the forensic mental health system who are subject to a compulsion order and restriction order would also be latest plans are being introduced as proposed amendments to the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, the next stage of which begins in the Scottish Parliament next bill also proposes a pilot scheme for juryless rape trials and abolishing the "not proven" verdict. The reform proposals, which will be voted on by MSPs, come amid a scheme which to release a number of criminals from jail early to help ease the prison Support Scotland, said they welcome the move but "many more improvements are urgently needed".Chief executive Kate Wallace said: "It has been nearly two years now since improvements to the VNS were recommended to the Scottish government through an independent review in May 2023."While early release schemes have passed swiftly through Holyrood in the last year, improvements to the VNS have languished while hundreds of prisoners were released early - with only 2% of their victims notified in last summer's emergency early release scheme."
