Caroline Glachan's horror final moments and little boy's chilling memory that solved whole case

Remembered arsenic a "bubbly miss with a wide ellipse of friends", Caroline Gla chan's decease sent shockwaves crossed West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.

As explored successful the caller BBC documentary Murder Trial: Girl successful the River, on August 25, 1996 - the time of her parent Margaret's 40th day - a passerby discovered the lifeless, battered assemblage of 14-year-old Caroline successful the River Leven. The teen had suffered blunt-force trauma, with important injuries to her scalp, look and neck.

A pathologist's study determined that Caroline had already been beaten unconscious earlier she ended up successful the river, with the origin of decease fixed arsenic drowning. Following the devastating discovery, Caroline's household and friends sought answers to what had happened to the vivacious teenager, who was past seen live connected the nighttime of August 24, 1996, erstwhile she was expected to person attended a sleepover astatine the location of her champion friend, Joanne Menzies.

Instead, she went to conscionable with her fellow of astir 3 months, Robert O'Brien, who, astatine 18, was 4 years her senior. A known bully, O'Brien was feared by those successful the section area, and friends were disquieted astir Caroline getting progressive with him.

According to BBC News, Joanne would aboriginal archer the tribunal that the narration had been convulsive and that she'd been forced to halt O'Brien from attacking Caroline connected assorted occasions. However, Caroline, who Joanne remembered arsenic being "a spot infatuated" with O'Brien, appeared blessed erstwhile she met her astatine astir 10pm connected that last evening.

Caroline had asked Joanne to locomotion with her to conscionable up with O'Brien astatine the Black Bridge astatine the River Leven. However, she declined, alternatively begging Caroline not to go. She explained: "I ne'er liked Robert." The schoolgirl was past seen arsenic she walked to a friend's location from shops connected Renton's Ladyton property aft spending the evening with pals.

The pursuing month, a reconstruction of Caroline's last movements took place, with Detective Chief Inspector Jeanette Joyce, the serviceman starring the inquiry, telling The Herald: "We don't cognize wherefore she died. She was a bubbly miss with a wide ellipse of friends and seems to person had nary existent enemies. All we tin bash astatine the infinitesimal is dainty her decease arsenic a random attack.''

More than 100 radical were interviewed successful transportation with Caroline's murder, and 4 names successful peculiar were whispered astir the colony - Robbie O’Brien, Donna Marie Brand, Andrew Kelly, and Kelly’s girlfriend, the precocious Sarah Jane O’Neill.

For years, however, the radical stuck to their alibi, claiming they'd spent the evening astatine the location of Betty Wilson, babysitting her children - four-year-old lad Archie and two-year-old Jamie. Little did they cognize that Archie's grounds would beryllium cardinal to their eventual downfall.

Without CCTV oregon DNA evidence, officers who re-opened the lawsuit successful June 2019 turned alternatively to witnesser statements. Linda Dorrian, Betty's upstairs neighbour, proved to beryllium a peculiarly important witness. While astatine location with her 10-year-old girl connected the nighttime successful question, Linda had stayed up to ticker a movie that began astatine midnight. It was past that she heard the beforehand doorway of the flat gathering being opened.

Looking out, Linda saw 4 teenagers leaving the building, headed toward the River Leven. They were accompanied by Archie and Jamie. This grounds provided important grounds that the pack had near Betty's location that night.

Shortly aft midnight, astatine slightest six individuals reported proceeding chilling screams coming from the absorption of the River Leven. One witnesser testified: “It was a girl. She was screaming: ‘I didnae accidental that! I didnae dae that!’” Approximately 40 minutes later, Linda saw the pack instrumentality and recalled that they'd seemed frantic.

According to Linda: “They slammed the door. Then determination was screaming—‘That wasn’t meant to happen! That went excessively far! How’s this going to look?"

The pursuing day, Betty realised determination was thing incorrect with her 2 sons. Both of the usually energetic children had slept successful until lunchtime, and the acrophobic parent returned location that greeting to the show of their babysitter, Kelly, drying Jamie's sodden trousers by the fire.

Kelly claimed Archie had urinated connected him, leaving a bedewed spot connected the carpet, but the communicative didn't look to adhd up. When Archie yet woke up, Betty asked if he'd bedewed the carpet. He innocently replied: “No, Mummy. Robbie was wet.”

Remembering however Archie had got upset astatine the accusation that he'd bedewed himself, Betty said: "He said they were down the Leven...that they were warring with the lassie, that she ended up falling successful and that they had battered the lassie."

Young Archie aboriginal told officers that he'd been taken “down the Leven” and had witnessed Caroline being attacked. He described an idiosyncratic named Robbie hitting the miss with a “stick and a pole” earlier she was pushed into the river. This horrifying relationship was fixed earlier Caroline's assemblage was discovered.

Detective Inspector Stuart Grainger, who led the re-opened case, stated: “He talked astir her being deed and having metallic successful her eye. How does this wee lad cognize that unless helium was there?”

According to DI Grainger, the powerfulness O’Brien’s household successful the municipality was 1 of the factors successful the lawsuit being unsolved for truthful long. DI Grainger explained: “There was a existent fearfulness of speaking out. People were frightened of him.”

O’Brien, Brand, and Kelly were each cause users, backing their wont done shoplifting. Furthermore, heroin was a superior contented successful the town, wherever galore witnesses lived lives steeped successful chaos.

Although Betty told constabulary astatine the time, Archie's grounds was deemed not credible due to the fact that of however young helium was. However, aft the lawsuit reopened, this grounds proved capable to complaint the 3 surviving suspects, O’Brien, Brand, and Kelly, with Caroline's murder.

Justice yet prevailed successful November 2023, erstwhile a long-awaited execution proceedings began astatine Glasgow’s High Court, 27 years aft Caroline’s tragic death. Brought earlier the court, O’Brien, 46, Kelly, 45, and Brand, 45, were recovered to person repeatedly punched, kicked and thrown bricks oregon akin items astatine Caroline, resulting successful blunt unit trauma to her caput and body, earlier pushing her into the water. One period aft the proceedings began, the trio were recovered blameworthy and sentenced to beingness down bars.

Following the sentencing, Caroline’s mother, Margaret, remarked that she “thought it would ne'er happen.” She continued: “It volition not bring her back, but astatine slightest we cognize who was liable is serving clip due to the fact that for the past 25 years, they’ve had their Christmases and birthdays, but my Caroline has been successful the ground. This is simply a large day.”

You tin stream Murder Trial: Girl successful the River connected BBC iPlayer present

Do you person a communicative to share? Email maine astatine julia.banim@reachplc.com