THE detective leading the reopened inquiry into the murder of Emma Caldwell has vowed to catch her killer almost 11 years after her death.
Detective Superintendent David McLaren says the new probe is likely to provide different results to the failed original investigation.
He said advances in technology and changes in allegiances may be crucial this time round.
McLaren spoke on the eve of the 11th anniversary of 27-year-old Emma’s death, and a year after the Sunday Mail revealed the existence of a forgotten suspect in the case.
His team have already been working for more than 10 months on the reopened case in a dedicated incident room at Police Scotland HQ in Stirling.
He said: “Since the reinvestigation began, a team of officers dedicated to the inquiry have been methodically going through statements provided previously to the police, looking at potential further opportunities.
“This has involved going back to the first word of the first statement taken at the time of the discovery of Emma’s body and moving forward through the timeline which followed.
“We have a forensic strategy which seeks to take advantage of advances in technology by using new approaches to analysing samples and productions taken at the time.
“As well as taking a 2016 investigative approach to a murder which happened in 2005, the human factor also plays an important role in the detection of crime.
“Someone knows who murdered Emma Caldwell. It may be a friend, a family member or an acquaintance of the person or persons responsible. It may be that they’ve never spoken to anyone about their knowledge or concerns.
“Over time, allegiances and relationships can change and I would ask that if anyone does have information that would be of interest to the investigation they should come forward.”
Emma, of Erskine, Renfrewshire, was found dead in remote woods near Roberton, Lanarkshire, weeks after her disappearance on April 4 2005.
Four Turkish men were charged more than two years later but the case against Huseyin Cobanoglu, 63, Halil Kandil, 42, Abubekir Oncu, 39, and Mustafa Soylemez, 44, collapsed.
A year ago the Sunday Mail revealed that 43-year-old Airdrie man Iain Packer had admitted taking Emma to the remote spot where she was found on more than six occasions.
He initially denied knowing Emma but changed his story repeatedly during a series of police interviews before finally admitting taking her there and driving police officers to the woods, 45 minutes south of Glasgow.
But detectives were told to stop investigating Packer as police focused on the Turks.
In May, the Lord Advocate ordered that the criminal case should be reopened and Det Supt McLaren was ordered to lead a team to go over all the evidence from the original probe, liaising with the Crown Office’s Cold Case Unit.
His colleague Detective Chief Inspector Bob Frew said: “The investigation is very much active. We remain absolutely committed to resolving Emma’s murder and we continue to liaise with Emma’s family to keep them updated.”
