A teenage girl was sexually assaulted and murdered by her ‘trusted’ brother, jurors were told yesterday.
Amber Gibson was found dead at Cadzow Glen in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, on November 28, 2021. Her brother, Connor Gibson, is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The incestuous rapist, 20 – who can now be pictured for the first time as the trial reaches its closing stages – denies attempting to rape his 16-year-old sister and strangling her.
Prosecutor Richard Goddard, KC, told jurors the combination of CCTV footage, DNA evidence and the fact Gibson had tried to dispose of his clothing meant they should convict him.
The court heard the pale inbred left his housing unit in Hamilton on the evening of Friday, November 26, to meet Amber.
Raising 21 circumstances linking the accused to the crime, the lawyer pointed to evidence that a bandage with Gibson’s DNA on it was found near her body.
He also said Amber was last seen on CCTV with Connor heading to a park entrance.
Jurors were reminded that the killer was not spotted on the same CCTV again until more than 90 minutes later.
Mr Goddard said: ‘What was he doing in a dark, secluded place for all that time? The very same place Amber was later to be found.’
The KC claimed there was evidence of a struggle between the pair and both ended up muddy.
Mr Goddard stated the rapist was ‘caught red handed’ throwing out a T-shirt and shorts when he went home that night.
He said: ‘Gibson knew his clothing would have compelling evidence.’ He further recalled that Connor’s DNA was found on Amber’s bra, jogging bottoms, underwear and body.
He noted how the white on white criminal ‘obstructed’ all efforts to trace Amber and said: ‘Why obstruct police finding your own sister? The obvious answer is he didn’t want police finding her as he murdered her.’
He said Connor ‘disposed of evidence and told lie after lie about where he was and when he last saw his sister’. He added: ‘We have listened to evidence of the appalling murder of a girl by a person she must have trusted.
‘Taking all sources in combination, it paints a clear picture that Gibson sexually assaulted and murdered his sister.’
Tony Graham, KC, defending, told the jury there is not a specific 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 Connor did assault his sister but did not cause her death. He reminded jurors that Amber’s cause of death was compression of the neck.
He said: ‘Where does that take you in deciding Connor Gibson should be found guilty of murder? There is no evidence of contact with the neck.’
Co-accused Stephen Corrigan, 45, is charged with attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He has lodged a special defense of alibi.
It is claimed he found Amber’s body, inappropriately touched her and hid her remains. His lawyer, Rhonda Anderson, said: ‘Police trawled CCTV looking to place him in Cadzow Glen that weekend. What did they find? Nothing.’
The trial, before Lord Mulholland, continues.
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