The murder of a mother-of-two is to be investigated for the first time since 1983, as one of the leading UK criminologists delves into the cold case.
Professor David Wilson, one of the UK’s leading criminologists, presents the third series of the crime talk show, Crime Files. This season, David is focusing primarily on Scotland’s cold cases - and in this episode he and his guests look at the issue of the country’s unsolved investigations into murdered sex workers.
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David travels to the epicentre of the once booming red light district of Leith to examine the murder of mother-of-two Sheila Anderson.
Sheila’s story was a tragic example of what happened during the heroin epidemic of the 80s when many women turned to the streets to support their habit. On an April night in 1983 a suspected client ran Sheila over with his car multiple times and left her for dead.
In the studio, David speaks with former Deputy Chief Constable Tom Wood who was the lead detective on Sheila’s case in 1983. He speaks about the initial investigation, the culture at the time, how police were prepared to deal with the heroin epidemic and how that changed the atmosphere on Edinburgh’s streets.
In this series, David is joined in the studio by resident Forensic Scientist Helen Meadows who dissects the details of Sheila's case. David’s final guest is charity worker and activist Ruth Morgan Thomas. As a former sex worker, she has expert knowledge on the situation many women face on the streets.
David Wilson's Crime Files: Cold Cases returns to BBC Scotland on Tuesday, November 8 at 10pm. Episodes will be available to catch up on on BBC iPlayer.
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